Sanitation program finished half of works in eight years
“The new government should address not only the issue of maintaining funds in the long run—because sanitation takes decades to be fully tackled—but also that of drawing an in-depth analysis of the investment routine so that works are not interrupted,” said Édison Carlos, head of Instituto Trata Brasil.
Close to half (49%) of the sanitation projects from the first stage of the Accelerated Growth Program (PAC) has been concluded. According to a survey released Wednesday (Sep. 28) by Instituto Trata Brasil, of the 111 works that make up the initiative—with projects approved from 2007 to 2010—54 were concluded, 34 are in progress, and another 23 have been halted.
As for the water supply works in the first stage of the program, 63 of the 102 projects were concluded—62% of the total. Nonetheless, 13 had been halted by the time the data were collected, late in 2015.
Poorly designed projects
Half of the Brazilian population are not served by sewage treatment facilities.
The delays in the projects stem from a variety of reasons, chief of which being the way plans were designed. According to Édison Carlos, head of Instituto Trata Brasil, “nearly all proposals brought forth in the first [stage of] PAC included technical problems and updating issues, and were no longer compatible with the situation in the cities.”
Bureaucracy, delayed funds, construction firms with little expertise, environmental licensing difficulties, poor communication between the institutions involved and a tardy green light for the beginning of works were among the obstacles listed by Édison Carlos.
“The new government should address not only the issue of maintaining funds in the long run—because sanitation takes decades to be fully tackled—but also that of drawing an in-depth analysis of the investment routine so that works are not interrupted.”
Édison Carlos notes that half of the Brazilian population are not served by sewage treatment facilities. “We've evolved less than one percentage point a year according to indicators for sewage collection and treatment. It would take some 50 years if we continue at this rate.”
Ministry declines to comment
Contacted by reporters from Agência Brasil, the Ministry of Cities said it does not make comments about sanitation studies conducted “by third parties,” adding that it “works primarily with data, information, and studies produced by its own technical staff or federal public agencies,” the statement says.
The ministry went on to state it merely selects the enterprises and provides the funding for its implementation as the project progresses, and declared it is not to be held “accountable for interruptions in the works. On the financial side, it is necessary to note that the current administration has brought the number of unfinished tasks detected up to May this year to zero.” In a note, the ministry stated that carrying out PAC sanitation plans “falls under the responsibility of the municipal and state governments, or their respective sanitation utilities.”
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Sanitation program finished half of works in eight years
