The dialogue on Water and Sanitation, held at the CEBDS 2019 Seminar on the 5th, aimed to build indicators to be consolidated within a review of CEBDS's Vision 2050. The discussion was led by CEBDS's senior technical advisor for Water and Agroclimatic Intelligence, Felipe Cunha, and featured the presidents of Ecolab in Brazil, Orson Ledezma, and BRK Ambiental, Teresa Vernaglia, as debaters.
The worsening of successive recent water crises has forced companies in Brazil and around the world to respond to increasingly complex problems for the resilience of their businesses. Social conflicts caused by water use, impacts caused by climate change, waste, low sanitation rates, the search for economic viability of solutions and pressure on operating costs are some of the many factors involved in the decision-making process.
Because it involves a shared resource, water security depends on the engagement of society as a whole, but the business sector has a leading role to play in this process. And not only because of the financial aspects that impact their businesses, but because of their responsibilities and natural vocation as a partner of the government in the search for solutions and the development of proposals. The challenges are enormous, but the opportunities are also numerous.
SDG 6 and the National Basic Sanitation Plan
In line with one of the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6, the National Basic Sanitation Plan (Plansab) aims to universalize access to drinking water and sewage collection and treatment by 2033. The current scenario of public investment, which is below what is necessary, and limited action by the private sector in the sector, however, has made this goal impossible to achieve.
Once the need to review Plansab has been identified, this may be the time to move forward with transformative proposals for the long-term agenda. One of these proposals concerns reused water as an alternative to spending on water collection and treatment, which can increase the competitiveness of the industry.
Despite being an innovative solution that benefits companies and the environment, reused water is barely mentioned in the current version of Plansab – limited to three mentions in a document of over 200 pages. The current progress in Congress of the bill that proposes the new regulatory framework for sanitation in the country is an opportunity to define the standards for applying this solution as the basis for the strategy of universalizing services in the sector in Brazil.
Harmonization of regulations at the national level is also essential for the minimum standardization of the financial aspects of the sanitation sector. In this sense, it is necessary to strengthen the government structure responsible for formulating policies, defining operational standards and mediating and arbitrating conflicts between regulatory agencies.
In parallel with the debate on the new regulatory framework for the sector, it is up to the private sector to increase its investments in innovation and operational efficiency and in channels of dialogue with other segments of society to disseminate best practices that result in greater water security.
Deputies begin to discuss changes to the sanitation law
A special commission that analyzes changes in the legal framework for sanitation established the work schedule on August 27th, which was presented by the rapporteur, Congressman Geninho Zuliani (DEM-SP). Zuliani suggested holding nine public hearings to discuss bill PL 3261/19, which updates the Sanitation Law (Law 11,445/07). Geninho Zuliani intends to leave the proposal for a new legal framework for basic sanitation ready for voting in the Chamber's Plenary in the second half of October. There are nine proposals being processed together on the subject.
The purpose of updating the Sanitation Law is to ensure that the sector's universalization goals are met by 2033. The chairman of the committee, Congressman Evair Vieira de Melo (PP-ES), argued that the country still has 35 million people without access to drinking water and 110 million without adequate sewage treatment. To reverse this situation, R$600 billion in investment would be needed over the next few years.
Discover 5 Strategies for Water Efficiency
CEBDS presents in the publication 5 Strategies for water efficiency basic principles that should govern efficient water resource management work for a wide range of business profiles. For each of them, projects were selected from companies that sign the Brazilian Business Commitment to Water Security, which seek to provide practical support for readers.
The complete list of all projects presented, organized by goals and companies, can be found on the website aquasphere. The Aquasfera digital hub is an initiative created from the Brazilian Business Commitment to Security Water, proposed by the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) and signed during the 8th World Water Forum, in March 2018.
