Text The Green Amazon 10/2024
Health at risk: the urgency of sanitation in the heart of the Amazon
Brazil's Northern Region is facing a serious basic sanitation crisis. In 2022, only 57.1% of the population had access to treated water, and only 13.1% had sewage collection. The situation is even more alarming in Pará, Rondônia, and Amapá, where sewage treatment rates are extremely low: 9.24%, 8.99%, and 3.8%, respectively. In contrast, the Southeast, with 80.5% sewage collection, exemplifies how continuous investment can improve sanitation and public health conditions.
Lack of access to sanitation directly affects the health of the population, generating high rates of water-borne diseases such as hepatitis A and diarrhea, which are more common in regions without adequate infrastructure. Basic sanitation is not just a question of health but also dignity and quality of life, reflecting a social chasm that still divides Brazil.
The Basic Sanitation Legal Framework, established in 2020, aims to expand access to sanitation by 2033, but the goal seems distant for the North, where logistical difficulties and population dispersion require specific approaches. Decentralized and sustainable solutions, such as solar purification technologies and ecological sanitation systems, represent promising alternatives for isolated communities and riverside areas. Rainwater harvesting and environmental education are also effective initiatives that, if combined with the support of companies, governments, and non-governmental organizations, can substantially improve the quality of life in the region.
Examples of success stories and socio-environmental transformation
The Health and Happiness Project (PSA) and the Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAS) are non-profit civil society initiatives that promote sustainable development in the Amazon, each with integrated approaches focused on improving the quality of life of local populations.
Since 1987, PSA has been working in communities in the Brazilian Amazon to support community development and strengthen citizenship, benefiting around 30,000 residents of vulnerable rural communities in Santarém, Belterra, Aveiro, and Juruti in western Pará. The Sustainable Amazon Foundation, which has been operating for 16 years, is also dedicated to sustainable development in the Amazon, focusing on conserving the biome by valuing the standing forest and improving the quality of life of Amazonian communities. FAS implements programs covering education, health, empowerment, environmental conservation, community infrastructure, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Both organizations carry out essential work for sustainable development in the Amazon, integrating strategic agendas with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and promoting sustainable development in one of the richest and most challenging regions on the planet.
The future of sanitation in northern Brazil
Basic sanitation in the north of Brazil must be treated as a national priority, considering that investing in this infrastructure is essential for economic development, environmental preservation, and the well-being of local populations. As the Amazon plays a crucial role in global climate regulation, ensuring that its communities have access to basic sanitation and drinking water is also a matter of global sustainability.
With gratitude, 🌿🌍
Anna Luisa Beserra
Founder, Sustainable Development & Water For All
LinkedIn: Anna Luisa Beserra
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