Urban rivers and public authority: The case of the Verruga river in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil, in the second half of the 20th century

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to discuss the water management of the Verruga river by the local government when analyzing the urbanization process in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil, in the second half of the 20th century. In this sense, the actions taken by José Fernandes Pedral Sampaio, former mayor and political leadership in the municipality, were considered for the research, based on the analysis of an interview collected in 2000 using the oral story methodology. This procedure sought to investigate through the fragments of the memory contained in the interview, the changes that were made in the riverbed and relate them to the current urban fabric of the city. The results provide evidence of how the actions of the public authorities played a decisive role in the relationship between the city of Vitória da Conquista and the Verruga River.