This book invites the reader to learn about the lives of riverside dwellers in the municipality of Portel, in the state of Pará, due to the lack of sanitation, adequate housing and public policies. The disorganised growth of cities, the lack of proper planning and basic sanitation contribute to the emergence of various waterborne diseases. In this book, the author presents the importance of water, as well as basic sanitation and the harmful effects these have on physical, mental and social well-being. The author also shows the reader how water pollution occurs in rivers, in the underground environment and in distributors, as well as describing the environmental conditions in which the population of the seaside bridge in the municipality of Portel lives, identifying the diseases that occur frequently, basic sanitation and the public policies promoted by municipal managers.