Modernização da Frota Ribeirinha: políticas e estratégias

Abstract

The present work aims to awaken Brazilian authorities to the need for creating public financing for the modernization of the fleet of small watercraft for the river-dwellers of Brazil’s northern region. While considering the triad of safety-comfort-technology, this proposal is not only focused at preventing accidents, but also at regulating the hundreds of thousands of small watercraft that are operating well outside established safety standards, as required by law. The methodology adopted was comprised of field research within various Federal and State agencies, interviews with the river-dwellers themselves, as well as boat and engine manufacturers, and participant observation as conducted by the author. The research begins with the characterization of the Amazon and its acute mobility problems; then it explains the consequences of informality and improvisation in the river-crafts’ construction and navigation, the absence of public policies for this transportation system’s development, the presence of repeated accidents due to the lack of initiative to modernize this fleet and the application of models that circumvent this issue without attacking the problem at its root. Then, the work approaches the main reasons that prevent or hinder the socioeconomic development of the region and boldly suggests the creation of a program titled "Profrota Ribeirinha" that promotes local development without the loss of identity of the region. Lastly, approaching the specific case of accidental scalping (as often occurs to the river-dwellers as a result of these improvised vessels), the eradication of this problem will only occur when these non-factory issued engines that lack axle covers are no longer employed or are replaced by those used by the Brazilian Navy.