Perception of the residents of Antonio Pereira, district of Ouro Preto - MG, about environment, sanitation and local environmental assets

O distrito de Antônio Pereira, pertencente ao município de Ouro Preto/MG, possui significativas riquezas ambientais. Por outro lado, o distrito enfrenta dificuldades causadas por deficiências na infraestrutura urbana, no sistema de saneamento básico e outros problemas que têm trazido desconforto para a população. Este trabalho levantou dados sobre a percepção da população local acerca da situação ambiental do distrito. Para tanto, foram realizadas 178 entrevistas com moradores por meio de questionários. Mediante resultados, constatou-se que, no tocante às questões gerais de meio ambiente, houve reconhecimento, por parte da população, das riquezas ambientais existentes no distrito, sendo as mais indicadas o minério de ferro, as cachoeiras e o antigo garimpo de topázio imperial. De um modo geral, percebeu-se a necessidade de que sejam realizados mais estudos sobre as temáticas apontadas no presente artigo e também em outras áreas do conhecimento, tais como saúde e educação. The district of Antônio Pereira, belonging to the city of Ouro Preto (MG), has significant environmental riches. On the other hand, it faces difficulties caused by deficiencies in the urban infrastructure, in the sanitation system and in the environment, that have brought discomfort to the population. This paper collected data on the perception of the local population about the environmental situation of the district. Therefore, 178 interviews were realized with residents out through questionnaires. Through the results, it was verified that, regarding the general environmental issues, there was recognition of the district's environmental wealths, with the most indicated being iron ore, the waterfalls and the former gold mining of imperial topaz. The greatest problems identified by the residents of Antônio Pereira were the deficiencies in health in the first place, the performance of politicians, the problems associated to education and the environmental degradation. Among the main environmental problems mentioned are uncontrolled fires, the pollution of rivers and of other sources of fresh water and lack of basic sanitation, respectively. The main responsible for causing the environmental problems in the district, according to the residents, are the individuals who live there, followed by the large local miners and the Ouro Preto City Hall. In general, it was noticed that the residents of Antônio Pereira demonstrated a favorable perception to the preservation of the local environment and its responsibilities.