The “Águas de São Cristóvão” project won first place in the 3rd edition of the Sustainable Cities Award, in the Access to Services theme, small municipalities category. “Today we can say that we are rich”, said a resident of the Brasilinha community, on the outskirts of São Cristóvão (SE). The statement summarizes the emotion of the almost 90 thousand inhabitants of the small northeastern city who today celebrate the ease of having, for the first time, treated water in almost 100% of their homes.
The project, started in 2017, innovated by prioritizing integrated administration of water resources, always focusing on three pillars: participatory management, access to water as a right and quality of services and products. The municipal government, responsible for the initiative, aligned the actions with the Sustainable Development Goals – UN SDGs, mainly SDG 3, which aims to “ensure a healthy life and promote well-being for all, at all ages” and SDG 6 , which seeks to “ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”.
Brazilian Business Commitment to Water Security
Understanding the urgent need to address the critical reality of Brazilian water security, CEBDS counts on the Brazilian Business Commitment to Water Security, which in addition to consolidating the effective contribution of Brazilian business to the country, will enable Brazil to emerge on the scene of major global water agendas and milestones, as a protagonist in the implementation of innovative solutions, taking this legacy to the next World Water Forum, in Senegal in 2021.
CEBDS and the signatory companies want this Commitment to become a national reference for companies' effective contribution to water security in the country. This will bring transparency and visibility to data and information about actions, projects, goals and commitments assumed, individually and collectively, by the signatory companies, allowing greater engagement and dissemination of experiences, learning and information among the Brazilian business sector.
Photo credits: Jarbas Oliveira/Folhapress
