Brazil - Brazzil Mag - 90% of Brazil's Sewage Is Dumped Untreated In Rivers and Lakes

Wednesday, March 22, on World Water Day, a director of a Brazilian NGO, SOS Mata Atlântica, Mário Mantovani, declared that he is concerned with the quantity and quality of water in the country.

Pointing out that water sources in metropolitan regions already face serious problems, he declared: "What these problems mean is that the price of water will increase. Poor people will not have access to water, which is a public good. And there is also the problem with waste."

Mantovani pointed out that in the metropolitan region of São Paulo there are no longer any springs with potable water. He said all the water must now be treated. There is also a lack of control of subterranean water which compromises the water supply.

"It is essential to protect water sources. That is not being done in Brazil. Fully 90% of the country's sewage is dumped directly into rivers and lakes.... The legislation we have is adequate, it is new and modern, but there are no mechanisms to implement it, make it operationally effective," said Montovani.

According to him, with the new National Plan for Water Resources the country has more than 20 basin committees that work with regulatory agencies to ensure that water charges are made effectively. "What we need is to get society involved in water resource protection," he concluded.

Mantovani made his comments at the 8th Conference of the Parties to the Biological Diversity Convention being held in Brazil

BUT BRAZIL.....
written by Guest, March 23, 2006

....IS MUCH ADVANCED !

BRAZIL IS CLEAN AND UNPOLLUTED !!!!

Correct ????

ARE YOU NOT A COUNTRY THAT EVERYONE SHOULD IMITATE AND FOLLOW ????

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Yet Again!!!
written by Guest, March 23, 2006

"The legislation we have is adequate, it is new and modern, but there are no mechanisms to implement it, make it operationally effective," said Montovani."

LMAO!! It's like a bad nightmare!! It's just repeated and repeated and repeated. "Well, we have legislation, new and modern nonetheless, the U.N. is praising our legislation, but we just don't implement it OR enforce it"!! It's like these stupid-ass brazilian politicians think that if they pass a law the problem is magically resolved!! LMAO...this is good, seriously. You have to love these brazilians who bitch and moan about the U.S. and their "toxic waste and acid rain", and these people, with their 10% of the worlds "agua doce", another conspiracy theorists dream of the U.S. invading brazil....for what??? Shit water? You can't even safely drink brazilian tap water that has been treated...you can get worms and omeabas!!!

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To the friend above \"Maybe you should d
written by Guest, March 23, 2006

he he he...you really have a problem don't you... let me tell you a little fact...my wife and I love to go maine every summer for at least two weeks...well last summer we notice a terrible smell coming from the wet lands between the ocean and the main land...keep in mind that this wetland goes from oganquit beach all the way to kennebunkport with at least a half dozen towns in between... we also starting noticing seepage right thrugh the beach and into the ocean... so I decide to do a research into the matter and what I found out was shocking... that the local government allows during the winter months untreated sewer to go directly into the wetlands and the ocean together with surface drainage... He is another fact, with the exception of towns and cities in the USA, all rural areas have septic systems consisting of only sept tanks and leach fields that goes into the ground contaminating underground aquifer and aquicludes all over the land... so my friend I think that what Mr. Mantovani is refering here in this article is quite above yours or my understanding on the subject matter... one question for you....what is omeabas? I'm not sure that I understood the conspiracy thing you mentioned...is that related to the water? Can you explain?

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sorry..
written by Guest, March 23, 2006

type-o, meant to write, "amoeba". In case you didn't know, or havent spent significant time in brazil, any gastrointestinal doctor here will tell you to NEVER drink the water from the tap. To not even drink out of glasses or cups that haven't been dried thoroughly after being washed with tap water. A huge percentage of people here have "worms" and many have amoebas as well, and this is more often than not a direct result from consuming the tap water here in one form or another, to be honest, you don't even have to consume it, it just has to enter your mouth. So brushing your teeth, having water enter your mouth while showering, not a healthy thing.

amoeba: Any of various one-celled aquatic or parasitic protozoans of the genus Amoeba or related genera, having no definite form and consisting of a mass of protoplasm containing one or more nuclei surrounded by a flexible outer membrane. It moves by means of pseudopods.

These amoebas at times can grow up to 2+ meters in length, and live inside your instestines.

The conspiracy comment was directed at a group of brazilians that claim that the U.S. military will invade Brazil for one of two reasons....1st, to take the Amazon, 2nd, for their water. Brazil supposedly has the highest percentage of fresh water, or agua doce, on the planet, at 10%, but once again, with 90% of raw sewerage being dumped into the rivers and lakes, not to mention the lack of control of subterranean water, they'll screw up that god given gift in no time flat!

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misconception on septic systems
written by Guest, March 23, 2006

TThe waste water that is run through septic tanks is decomposed by bacteria (i.e., partially treated) before going into the leach field. There are laws in at least some states in the U.S. against having a well or other water source within 100 feet of a septic system. After the ground water has traveled that far, it is clean enough to be considered potable. So, septic systems don't really contaminate the ground water unless you are flushing major amounts of toxic chemicals down the toilet.

I think the previous poster misspelled amoebaӔ, as omeabasӔ this is the cause of amoebic dysentery; also know as the ֓runs, etc.

By the way, last September I was in Porto Seguro on a tour. The guides were warning the Brazilian tourists (in Portuguese, of course) not to drink the tap water. They said that you had to grow up there to be able to tolerate it and that we should even brush our teeth with bottled water.

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re: Sorry
written by Guest, March 23, 2006

You must have confused amoebae ( the correct plural of amoeba) with intentinal worms. Amoebae are microscopic, single-cells animals. Some intestinal worms can reach 2+ meters, but if you ever see an amoeba that size, you'll probably be seeing pink elephants next!

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maybe above yours!!
written by Guest, March 23, 2006

"so my friend I think that what Mr. Mantovani is refering here in this article is quite above yours or my understanding on the subject matter."

But not above mine. I live here, and see the raw sewerage flowing down the canals through mainstreet in capitals of states!! Straight into the rivers, lakes, and inlets! The smell is so bad and so strong at times that it's dangerous to be in contact with the AIR close to the canals. They've already had reports of "dust fesces" close and around these canals. You can get sick just by breathing close by! You can believe this, the U.S. with it's limited supply of water, is MUCH better off as far as access to drinkable, safe water than here in brazil where they have the largest percentage of fresh water on the planet!! Funny huh? Wonder why that is?

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jesus..
written by Guest, March 24, 2006

is this what they were talking about when they said, "agua de coc" LMAO!

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what they fail to
written by Guest, March 26, 2006

mention is that this article is about the areas that HAVE sewerage!! Where I live, the capital of a state, 40%+ of the area in this city DOES NOT HAVE A SEWERAGE SYSTEM!

The raw sewerage actually goes down a hole and directly to the closest river, lake, stream or ocean!

When I told one of my brazilian buddies about this yesterday, he said exactly this, "buddy, that is the for the areas that actually HAVE sewerage systems, or "esgoto", a LARGE percentage of most areas DO NOT HAVE sewerage systems!

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