ENVIRONMENTAL LICENSING OF TOURIST ENTERPRISES USING THERMAL WATER IN CALDAS NOVAS (GO) A MECHANISM OR AN BARRIER TO SUSTAINABILITY?

Abstract

The environmental licensing process allows not only the prior analysis of the environmental impacts of the authorized activities, but also the implementation of conditioning factors that mitigate the negative consequences of its execution to achieve sustainability. This article aims to verify whether the municipal licensing agency is effective in promoting environmental balance in the control of the activity under examination. To this end, the processes for obtaining installation and operating licenses for tourist developments of three economic groups, holders of the largest areas of thermal water mining, submitted to the Municipal Secretariat for the Environment and Water Resources (SEMMARH) of Caldas Novas, Goiás, were analyzed, identifying their potential and weaknesses in the aspects of compliance with legal precepts, technical and operational acuity. The information was collected in view of the processes referring to the period between February 2013 and June 2018. It was concluded that the decisions are more political than technical, without considering the necessary technical analyzes of the implications of potentially polluting activities, preventing the formulation of effective environmental conditions to achieve tourism sustainability in Caldas Novas, Goiás.