The director of the National Water Agency (ANA), Vicente Andreu, said on December 13, during the Fórum Estadão event entitled Sustainability, that the water crisis in Greater São Paulo brought lessons about the theme. “We can not miss the opportunity to learn from these crises, draw some important conclusions about them and take steps to ensure that things like these do not happen again,” he said.

Andreu said that it is necessary to change the pattern of water consumption in the country. He recalls that São Paulo had 72 cubic meters of general consumption to serve 20 million inhabitants and in the dry it reached 52. “The average in the metropolitan region is 320 liters per inhabitant per day. Is it possible to persevere in this type of consumption? “He asked.

Priorities

The coordinator of the water network of the SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation, Malu Ribeiro, stressed that water conservation must be given priority and that this good can not be treated as a commodity. “We have lost our memory, our relationship with the rivers. Speaking today to the young man who lives in an urban city that needs to defend water management does not mobilize as much as the day Whatsapp was suspended by a court order, for example, “she said during the debate.

Shortly before, the biologist and national water manager of The Nature Conservancy Brazil (TNC-Brazil), Samuel Barreto, warned that a “Roman” management of water resources is still underway. “Exports, transports, uses, discards. Even the solid waste has a smarter model, the recycling one. We used a model over a thousand years ago, “he said.

Water Alliance coordinator Marlucia Whately said that a “civilizing advance” in water management in the country is necessary. “The metropolitan region of São Paulo has one of the highest degrees of water stress on the planet. The loss of water in this region would provide around 6 million people. This is inadmissible, “he said.
“It does not fit with the 21st century to have this kind of posture,” he continued in the discussion within the Estadão forum with the theme of sustainability.

Dams

Ângelo José de Negreiros Guerra, director general of the national department of works against the drought (DNOCS), informed that the organ will continue the policy of dams, with plans for the construction of 320 dams in the semi-arid region of the Northeast.

“We do not know if we will have resources, but they have already been identified (the projects) and are necessary for the semi-arid Northeast,” said Guerra, during participation in Fórum Estadão with the theme Sustainability.

According to the Executive, other initiatives that will be implemented by DNOCS over the next few years to assist the region in dealing with droughts also include the construction of water mains and the drilling of wells. “We do not have the expertise (for drilling), but if there is any irregularity in the next wintry season, that will be an alternative,” he said. “DNOCS will train itself by hiring private companies to meet the demand we have in wells.”

Guerra also pointed out that the transposition of basins follows the radar of the DNOCS, noting that there are already studies for the transposition of the Tocantins River into the semi-arid Northeast. “The DNOCS has been developing the mission of providing the rural man with the conditions to live with the drought. We will not end it, but we will create conditions that allow the coexistence, “said the executive.

Sewage reuse

The company’s director of water and sewage (CAGECE), Cláudia Caixeta, pointed out that among the alternatives studied by the company to combat the water crisis in the state are the construction of plants for the treatment and reuse of sewage and Of water desalination.

As for the plan for the treatment of sewage, the executive stressed that the project was already approved after a meeting with the state government on December 2. “CAGECE is ahead. We will take the sewage that is released today at sea, treat it and take it for reuse in the industrial complex of Pecém, “said Claudia.

Regarding the desalination plant, the representative of CAGECE stated that the project will serve the region of Fortaleza, in a model of public private partnership (PPP). However, she stressed that the two projects are expensive and therefore took time to be taken forward.

“The sewage treatment plant, with a production capacity of 1 m³ / s, will cost about R $ 500 million, while the desalination plant will cost R $ 700 million.” The executive also said construction of the sewage treatment and reuse plant will be focused on the industry because of its greater financial capacity to handle costs.

“As for desalination, we will dilute (cost) among all users. The fare will not go up that much, “he said.

Critical situation

Cláudia Caixeta pointed out that the State of Ceará is undergoing the fifth consecutive year of drought, and that the storage capacity of the basins is currently around 7.55%. “It’s a critical situation,” he said.

The executive also stated that another problem faced by CAGECE is the low utilization of the water and sewage network. “The water use index is around 80.42%. People use alternative sources, with a lot of well drilling, which also end up generating saline contamination of the network, “he said.