Brazilian Scenery

Sanitation is the last developed of all sectors in infrastructure in Brazil . To make it worse, its evolution has been too slow to decrease the difference compared to the other areas. At this pace, the goal of universalizing sanitation services in the country will only be reached in 2047, concerning sewerage system, and in 2053, for water treatment. In order to anticipate this objective in two decades, it would be necessary to invest 10 million reais per year. However, investment made by all cores of the government has not come up to a third of that amount. Main difficulty to solve historical deficit is that the request keeps on growing fast. During the last years (2004-2006), the number of residences in the country increased from 46,9 to 51,7 millions. Therefore, the coverage absolute growth occurred in this period, 11,8 % in the amount of residences provided with water and 13,7% with sewerage system, was simply annulled by the request growth (Editora Abril, 2006).

Sewerage System

Amongst sanitation, sewerage system is the one which is less present in Brazilian municipality. Out of 4425 cities in Brazil, in 1989, fewer than half (47,3%) had some kind sewerage system service and, 11 years later, the advancements have not been significant. Out of 5507 cities, in 2000, 52,2% were provided with such service. Despite the period 1989-2000 have had an increase of about 24% in the number of cities, the sewerage system service did not match that growth, for it has only increased by 10% (IBGE, 2002).

According to board 1.1, it can be noticed that provided service to the cities has remained essentially under responsibility of local government (35,2% in 1989 and 38,4% in 2000). Most notable changes in the period were the increase by 18,5% of cities with services provided by state governments (11,9% in 1989 to 14,1% in 2000), larger presence of private companies, and the absence of federal assistance to the cities in the bigger regions, except in the Northeast, even so, in inferior levels to those registered in 1989 (IBGE, 2002).

BOARD 1.1 - Quote of cities with sewerage system service, by related administration entities, referred to the bigger regions - 2000

Source: IBGE, Diretoria de Pesquisas, Departamento de População e Indicadores Sociais, Pesquisa Nacional de Saneamento Básico 1989/2000 .

The cities sanitary sewerage system service situation still has a long way to go so that it can reach a satisfactory condition. According to board 1.2, 47,8% of the Brazilian cities do not have sewerage system sanitary collect. North is the region which has the highest rate (92,9%), followed by the Mid west (82,1%), the South (61,1%), the Northeast (57,1%) and the Southeast (7,1%). The cities which only have sanitary collect service are attributed higher proportion than those which have sanitary collect and treatment service (32,0% e 20,2%), respectively. In the Southeast, the region which has the biggest number of cities with sanitary collect and treatment service, only a third of them present an appropriate sewerage system sanitary condition (IBGE, 2002).

BOARD 1.2 - Quote of cities, by sewerage system sanitary condition, referred to the bigger regions - 2000

Source: IBGE, Diretoria de Pesquisas, Departamento de População e Indicadores Sociais, Pesquisa Nacional de Saneamento Básico 1989/2000

Urban Drainage

Concerning city planning, the drainage of the rains is an essential item in the tasks and sanitation program. Drainage systems prevent floods and pools in lower areas and aim at the development of traffic ways system and, faster draining of water caused by rains in order to keep safety and comfort to the population.

Due to the urbanizing process, the soil becomes waterproof hardening water from rains infiltration, accelerating artificial flow, accumulation of water and flooding of streams, causing pools, floods, erosions and soil sanding. So, drainage systems are essential services to the big cities, becoming fundamental on the current urban planning schedule to assure organized growth with fewer risks to the population.

The urban drainage system is composed of micro and macro-drainage systems. Micro-drainage holds the rain water initial collecting structures, like culverts and manholes. Macro-drainage refers to sewer tubes and sewer galleries located in the deep of valleys, representing huge collecting pipes. Institutionally, micro-drainage infrastructure is supposed to be the municipality competency, enlarging that competency towards the state governments as the system grows relevantly to the macro-drainage issues, whose references for planning are the hydrographic bays (IBGE, 2002).

Regardless the size of the extension of the system and its own efficiency, 78,6% of Brazilian cities were provided with urban drainage system services in 2000, when the National Sanitation Research and Survey was accomplished by IBGE.

The drainage system distribution is more favorable in better developed areas in Brazil , thus in the South 94,4% of the cities have urban drainage system.

In the Southeast, where more than half the national population is, it is possible to find drainage system in 88,1% of the cities. The North with 49,4% is the one with smaller proportion of cities which have drainage systems, followed by the Northeast with 68,7% and the Mid west with 70,9% (IBGE, 2002).

The urban drainage service, in 99,8% of the cities, is provided by the municipalities, usually linked to the municipal tasks and services councils.

According to the National Sanitation Research and Survey (PNSB) 2000; 85,3% of the Brazilian cities with urban drainage systems also had pluvial water galleries, known that out of that total, 21,8% make use of a unitary collecting system, that one which is also used to transport sanitary residues and 81,8% make use of a separating collecting system, which is used to transport exclusively rain waters (IBGE, 2002).

Finally, it is worth asserting the great importance of the urban drainage system services, especially in medium and big cities, where floods are common in rainy weather, resulting human and material damage.

Technical Manual of Drainage and Sanitary Residues - 2008

Presentation - Treaty for Sanitation 3/12/2008 - PLANSAB

We are facing important challenges. The universalizing of Sanitation was assumed as a commitment of all Brazilian society, according to the Law 11.445/2007, which suggests today an expressive effort from the three levels of government, from the public and the private services providers, from industries of materials, from financial agents and from population in general, through institution of participation sectors.

An effort to get adequate for providing a better quality service by improvising management instruments - planning, regulation and inspection, services providing and social control - by performing a vast program of investments directed by the Growth Acceleration Program - PAC which main focus is to contribute to sanitation process.

The Chapter IX of the Law 11.445/2007 declares the Federal Policy of Sanitation and suggests the action of the Federal Government by means of the definition of a vast complex of guidelines and goals; as well as institutes the National Plan of Sanitation - PLANSAB as a central core, instrument of the implementation of the Law, responsible for objectives and marks for universalizing and defining of its projects and actions and investment strategy.

The schedule of the Federal Government to the sanitation policy has been done according to the development of articled actions between federal entities which are active on the sector in order to associate efforts amongst all of the cores of the federation and reminiscent social and economical agents responsible for sanitary services in the country.

It is with this integrating view that it is started the elaboration of the PLANSAB, being included the Council of Cities - ConCidades, by means of its own Technical Committee of Environmental Sanitation, representing the privileged ground for discussions on that matter. Hand in hand with the Inter-ministerial Group of Work designed by the Minister of Cities, it has taken part of strategies formulation and its elaboration and it has led the process of formulation of this Treaty of Sanitation which marks the beginning of the Plan elaboration process.

Approved by the Council of Cities on 03/12/2008 through the Recommended Resolution n. 62 after large discussion with all main representative entities of the sector, the Treaty searches agreement and commitment of the whole society concerning about the elaboration process of the PLANSAB and aims to establish a reliable and comprehensible environment on the way to universalizing the access to sanitary services and social inclusion and engagement in order to reach PLANSAB marks and goals.

The expectation is that all can see themselves as protagonists on the planning and make efforts to universalizing according to the marks of the Plan. PLANSAB must express a socio-territorial commitment, with marks and goals, aiming to health, life quality and social inclusion through universalizing Sanitation, as it is declared in this Treaty.

Leodegar Tiscoski

National Council of Environmental Sanitation

Ministry of the Cities