Profa Waverli

At the Universidade Metodista, where we studied in Sao Paulo for 3 weeks, we had the opportunity to listen to some wonderful professors speak. Professora Waverli Neuberger is a teacher of sustainability and conservation who has studied ecology for 32 years. She presented on the Billings Reservoir and touched on the Tietê  river and sanitation in Sao Paulo. She talked a lot about the developments that have been made throughout time in the region, goals achieved or that ought to be achieved, and problems that we are still faced with. Waverli is also very passionate about the Atlantic rainforest that I will eventually talk about. She briefly describes how the Billings-Tietê system works in the videos below. These are just a couple segments that I thought would be relevant to include.

Do you get what you pay for?

What constitutes a perfectly satisfactory water supply to some people, leaves others considering themselves under-served. No one that I met drank the water from the faucet in Brazil. However, this is not uncommon where I am from in Washington State either- mostly as a preference rather than necessity. Numerous times people said to me "don't drink the water!", which is what any typical traveler is told. But this goes for the residents of the cities I visited as well. Every household has purchased big water jugs with taps for their homes, or have their own filtration systems on the wall next to the kitchen sink. Other than homes, every restaurant automatically would offer a bottle of water if you asked for water. Usually the water would come in mini bottles at R$2 or $R2.50. Also, if you ordered a different drink, you were always asked if you wanted "yelo" (this means ice in Portuguese). This is what the residents are accustomed to, but there is still a lot of concern and much more progress to be made.

 After talking with my host family, I learned that people typically pay around R$30 to R$50 per month for water if they live in a house. This does not always include sanitation in the cost. People who live in apartments usually get water for a fairly cheap cost which is included in the rent. But according to Silvia Cruz, an environmental graduate who spoke to our class, 83% of the population have in-house access to the water supply, while 57% of the population have access to the public sanitation system, plus an added 12% who have septic tanks in Brazil. The metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, has 11% of the population, but only 1.6% of fresh water.

 

A favela outside of Sao Paulo

The favelas or slums or more appropriately named... "comunidades" have been given credit for the pollution. In Brazil, "favelas" are defined as: one comes into being when squatters occupy vacant land at the edge of a city and construct shanties of salvaged or stolen materials. Communities form over time, often developing an array of social and religious organizations and forming associations to obtain such services as running water and electricity. Sometimes the residents manage to gain title to the land and then are able to improve their homes. Crowding, unsanitary conditions, worse nutrition, pollution, and disease are more present in the poorer favelas. (merriam-webster) 

However, conditions have improved over time, but still many of these communities don't have access to well constructed piping systems or can't get supplied water from the city. A lot of these areas are close to water reservoirs, which in turn promotes more chances of dumping of domestic waste. A friend that we met in Rio de Janeiro, informed me that São Conrado is a neighborhood in Rio that has terrible sanitation treatment and allowing waste to make its way into the sea. Although many improvements have been made for treatment of water, large cities are still left with a huge problem in dealing with it, associated with old piping, unstable pipes, or no pipes at all. It makes me question how tight the regulations are on having a clean city. This is a country that is faced with populous city centers, but no solutions and not enough education to combat water pollution.

I found out what the water bins are that you see either in tan or blue on the top of homes. A Brazilian, Jonathan Jones, provided me with the following information: Most Brazilian homes have a Tanque de Agua (water tank) made out of Masonite located on top of their house. The city water is piped up to that tank, which holds around 100 to 500 liters of water depending on the size of the tank. From the water tank the water is then allowed to flow into the house's plumbing, for most in home plumbing in Brazil is not pressurized like it is in the United States. The water tank on top of the house sometimes has a tendency to collect moss or algae.

The Tietê River and Billings Reservoir

Every day in Sao Paulo, I crossed the Tietê River that runs right through the city. Rivers running through cities notoriously attract more pollution due to the increased population. Some days the stench of this river was unbearable. Water pollution can come from many sources such as non-point and point source pollution- downstream trash flow, water run-off (toxic cleaning agents, pet waste, pesticide runoff, etc), litter, erosion, and from businesses. I asked my host sister if the river was clean and safe to go in, and she said "no, no, no"! 

It made me question where São Paulo resident’s water supply was coming from. I was told that the river upstream is very clean, but once it gets to more populous regions it picks up all kinds of pollution. Efforts to clean up the river are in place, but even if the river is free of visible pollution, it still contains trace pollutants that have settled into the soils from industrial residues and domestic waste over the years. It would be a very tedious and expensive process to clean up, and would most likely consist of dredging which in some cases make the situation worse by stirring up toxins.

I learned from my research that the Tiete River basin and the Guarapiranga, and Billings reservoir are the main sources that provide water to the city. The Guarapiranga reservoir provides water for over 4 million people in São Paulo, but uncontrolled informal settlements with no water supply, or sanitation services, has led to water contamination. There is a potential threat of its viability as a future supply of water. SABESP is the largest and main water treatment facility for the city and initially focused more on providing water rather than sanitation services because water was the main community demand.

The Billings Reservoir is divided by land with one side for recreational use such as boating, swimming, fishing and the other side as waste water for the treatment plant. It was developed by Canadian engineer and is one of the oldest industrial areas of Brazil. There is a great amount of discharge from Billings to the river. Professora Waverli of Universidade de Metodista stated that, "drinking water may be better within 10  years."  

  

 "When you don't put a value on the environment, it is already destroyed."

Sao Paulo Water Run-off and City Growth

                                                                        

 In the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, there are many hilly neighborhoods, coupled with a hefty population. In Santo Andre, my neighborhood had countless pipes that came straight out of the sidewalks and onto the roads. These pipes allow for an “open-air” drainage system. This system takes “gray” water flow right down the hills. I was walking home from the bus stop one day, and I could smell a strong soapy odor. I was able to pin-point the soap suds draining out of one of these pipes into the grooves divots on the street. I easily followed it to where it was draining into...storm drains. These typically drain right into larger bodies of water. This could easily lead to larger pollution issues.

 

As I started asking my host family and other students questions, I learned that sanitation has been a huge issue in the past, but has drastically improved. The years between 2004 - 2009 were turning points for the city’s water systems, when better water facilities were introduced. The access from different water sources and standards of water treatment improved, but the city still faces many obstacles. Change creates expenses and takes a lot of time to make improvements. 

Some of the pollution concerns include dumping of toxic liquids, industrial products, litter, and human sanitation bags on the sidewalks for collection. With rain and wind, this waste can be easily transported to storm drains and rivers that flow into oceans and lakes.

The problems associated with water pollution stem from many different causes, humans and businesses being the largest contributors. The questions that arise are: Is there a high enough importance placed on updated water treatment facilities? Is the access to clean water available? How many tons per year of polluted water run-off are allowed to flow into bodies of water? The long term effects on the environment, animal welfare and people's health must be taken into consideration. 

The other problem is that the Sao Paulo metropolitan region is huge. It is referred to as the ABCD region - Santo Andre, Sao Bernardo do Campo, Sao Caetano do Sul, and Diadema with many other suburban areas. There are many slums or places known as "favelas" that do not have proper piping or the access to sewage. With 20 million people in this region alone, it will take time for these services to catch up with its urban sprawl. Thus leaving environmental and human welfare on the back burner. 

Oi Brazil !

During the summer of 2012, I was able to complete University of Washington‘a Human Rights and Environmental Justice study abroad program in Brazil. One of the requirements was to complete a media project. The project was to explore a human rights or environmental justice issue that Brazilians are faced with. When I began this exploration, I was overtaken by the history of such a resourceful and diverse country. I became swept away in the culture and learning the Brazilian way, the "Jeitinho". Having little experience in creating mediums, I thought a blog/photo journal would be a great way to share my research and the time I spent in the country. In this blog you will find observations, interviews, seminars, research, and photographs of what I gathered while I was in the areas of Sao Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul. 

My first thoughts upon arriving - culture shock! The language barrier, the busy city of Sao Paulo, new families and friends to get to know....the list goes on. Aside from that, my Santo Andre host family welcomed me and set me at ease. As I was taking it all in, I couldn't help but notice the many differences compared to the U.S. It led me to the concerning fact of the water quality and access, which would eventually solidify my project exploration: access to clean water.  My goal is to share education, research, and awareness on the topic. 

My University-Universidade de Metodista

My Sao Paulo host family