Brazilian State will pay the sewer connection for low-income families

The state government of Sao Paulo, Brazil, will pay sewer connection for families with income of up to three minimum wages. It is estimated that 192 000 connections will be paid, benefiting about 800 000 people. Will be invested R $ 349.5 million over eight years.

The program will pay for the works within the property, such as labor and material, to make the connection.The goal is to encourage low-income families to connect their homes to the sewer system, because when there is no domestic connection to sewage they pour in fresh water bodies causing damage to the environment and health of the population.

The program is coordinated by the Secretary of Sanitation and Water Resources of the State, Edson Giriboni.

Post sent by SSRH press office
Guilherme Hungria

IDB and FEMSA Foundation award Water and Sanitation Prize to innovative service operators

Service operators and public officials from Mexico, Nicaragua, Brazil and Colombia were recognized for innovative contributions to water and sanitation by the Inter-American Development Bank and FEMSA Foundation during the 2010 World Water Week congress in Stockholm.

Federico Basañes, chief the IDB’s Water and Sanitation Division, and Genaro Borrego Estrada, Director of Corporate Affairs for FEMSA, awarded the second edition of the Water and Sanitation Prize, which was inaugurated [in 2009] with the goal of recognizing outstanding contributions to the challenge of providing sustainable and accessible water and sanitation services in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Servicios de Agua y Drenaje de Monterrey, Mexico, received the award for water management in recognition of its successful strategy to voluntarily reduce consumption and encourage conservation of water over the last 20 years.

The Government of the State of Amazonas, Brazil, received the award for sanitation management in recognition of the results of the Programa Socioambiental dos Igarapés de Manaus (PROSAMIM), which implemented an integrated solution to water, sanitation and housing problems in low-income communities in the city of Manaos.

Aguas de Cartagena, Colombia, received a special mention for its success in the commercial management of accounts in low-income districts.

Empresa Nicaraguense de Aqueductos y Alcantarillados (ENACAL)also received a special mention for the construction and operation of a waste-water treatment plant in the city of Managua.

Representatives from each of the four awardees gave presentations describing the recognized project or initiative as part of “Latin America Day” at World Water Week, considered the largest international congress specializing in this sector.

The winners, as well as the recipients of special mentions, will receive scholarships financed by the FEMSA Foundation [to] send water and sanitation professionals to the Centro del Agua para América Latina y el Caribe (CAALCA), a specialized training and research institution jointly created by the IDB, FEMSA and Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Source: IDB, 07 Sep 2010

Brazil: Amazonas planning US$110mn sustainability projects for southeast region

Brazil’s Amazonas state is planning projects worth US$110mn aimed at improving water supply and other sustainability issues through state development plan Proderam, the plan’s executive coordinator, Laercio Cavalcante, told BNamericas.

Read full article on: BAmericas, [subscription database], July 2, 2010

Controversial Dam Project in Brazil

As reported by the Guardian earlier this month, Brazil will go ahead with the construction of a controversial hydroelectric dam in the Amazon forest. It has been estimated that thousands of the indigenous populations in the area would be displaced. Moreover, environmentalists highlighted the damage of the Belo Monte dam on the Amazon basin with . Nonetheless, Brazil’s environment ministry have gone ahead and given the project the needed environmental licence.

Views on this topic are however diverging as some advocates for the construction of the Belo Monte dam insist that it will improve the living situation of the local Indians who currently live in the area as well as cause minimal to no environmental damage to the local ecosystem and rivers. For more details please read the Guardian article.

Latin America: wastewater treatment moves into high gear

Although levels of wastewater treatment are still quite low in Latin America compared to developed countries, notable progress has been made over recent years and opportunities abound, according to the January 2010 BNamericas infrastructure intelligence series report [1]. Some Latin American countries have managed to reach wastewater treatment levels of over 80%.

[1] Stok, G. (2010). Wastewater treatment makes it onto the agenda (Intelligence series). Santiago, Chile Business News Americas. Order details and summary (price US$ 239).

Read full article on: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 20 Jan 2010

Brazil, Paraná: Funasa approves US$57.4mn for small town sanitation projects

Brazil’s national health foundation (Funasa) has approved some 101mn reais (US$57.4mn) for sanitation projects in small towns in the state of Paraná. Another 13.2mn reais will be used to supply water to residents in more rural areas,

Read full article on: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 14 Jan 2010

Brazil, Rio Grande do Norte: Caern to increase Natal sanitation coverage for 2014 World Cup

Brazil’s Rio Grande do Norte state water utility Caern intends to improve its sewage collection coverage in state capital Natal from 33% to 73% in time for the 2014 World Cup. The service boost will lift the city out of its poor sewage collection ranking among World Cup host cities, according to the center for social research for economic thinktank Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV).

Read the full article on: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 30 Dec 2009

Mexico, Mexico City: half of DF users fail to pay water rates, says Conagua head

Half of users with connections to the potable water system in Mexico’s federal district (DF) do not pay for the service, according to national water authority Conagua head José Luis Luege Tamargo.

While DF users pay two pesos (US$0.15) per cubic meter, those in cities such as Monterrey, Aguascalientes and Querétaro pay up to 15 pesos.

The discrepancy is an indication of the urgent need to revise the city’s water tariffs, Luege Tamargo was quoted as saying by paper El Financiero.

The DF government is currently considering a proposal to introduce a new potable water tariff system that will charge users according to their socioeconomic status, adjusting water subsidies according to both income and the amount of water consumed.

Wastewater treatment

Increased tariffs would encourage more efficient water use, and would allow for greater investment in areas such as wastewater treatment, according to Luege Tamargo.

Mexico City currently treats just 6% of its wastewater, which leaves it way behind cities like Monterrey, where 100% of wastewater is treated.

The deficit is likely to shrink over the next few years, with wastewater treatment coverage in Mexico City expected to reach 60% once the Atotonilco treatment plant begins operations, Luege Tamargo said.

Atotonilco will be the world’s biggest wastewater treatment plant, with capacity to treat an average of 23m3/s, and an option to expand capacity to 42m3/s at a later stage.

The contract to build the US$710mn plant is scheduled to be awarded on December 11.

Source: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 09 Dec 2009

Brazil, Rio de Janeiro: needs sanitation improvements for 2014 World Cup, says specialist

Rio de Janeiro lacks the sanitation services required to host the 2014 World Cup, according to Marcelo Cortes Neri, head of the center for social research for the Brazilian economic thinktank Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV). Current sanitation services will not support the influx of tourists into the city during the sporting event.

Read the full article on: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 07 Dec 2009

Brazil: sanitation MDG could be reached by 2025 – study

Brazil could meet its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in sanitation by 2025, a full 10 years behind schedule, according to a study by NGO Instituto Trata Brasil (ITB) and center for social research at Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV).

Read the full article on: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 26 Nov 2009