Basic sanitation: Investment that generates financial return in Manaus

Manaus (AM) – Basic sanitation is vital for the development of a city. This work that remains underground changes people’s lives, being essential for health, river protection, real estate appreciation, tourism, in addition to labor productivity. Access to the service is still a right guaranteed by the Constitution.

In the most populous city in the North region, with 2 million inhabitants, Manaus has been showing progress in sanitation indicators, with a projection of reaching 30% sanitary coverage this year. In recent years, the capital of Amazonas has shown improvements, such as the arrival of treated water to vulnerable residents, advances in the inclusion of the lower class population in the social tariff and increased investments in water and sewage services. Despite the advances, experts say there is a long way to go.

Although essential for economic development, sanitation works go unnoticed in the eyes of many people. According to economist Denise Kassama, although relevant, they were not, in previous administrations, among the main banners of the Municipal Executive Branch, mainly because they did not attract attention.

“It’s a project that no one sees, the investment in sewage remains underground. Unlike opening a viaduct, the viaduct is a big project, it attracts attention and the sewage is underground, but the sewer is much more important than a viaduct. Even though the Trata Brasil report shows that Manaus has improved, there is a long way to go before we can say that Manaus is a sustainable city”,

evaluate.

Contrary to what many think, sanitation contributes to economic development, in addition to the health of the population. A study by Instituto Trata Brasil calculated how much economic benefits the universalization of sewage services by 2040 would bring. Entitled “Economic and Social Benefits of the Expansion of Brazilian Sanitation 2022”, the research showed that the economic benefit would reach the figure of R$815.7 billion.

In Manaus, the universalization of exhaustion is a goal for the next 10 years, that is, the city could be one of the pioneers in achieving universalization. To this end, since 2018, around R$1 billion has been invested in basic sanitation. For the next 10 years, the estimate is for an additional R$2 billion in investment, according to data from Águas de Manaus, the concessionaire responsible for water, sewage collection and treatment services.

The Sanitation Ranking, from Instituto Trata Brasil, shows this significant progress. According to the survey, Manaus went from position 98 to 83 in a few years. The ranking was based on indicators from the National Sanitation Information System (SNIS), from the year 2021.

Financial gains

According to the study on economic benefits from the universalization of basic sanitation in Brazil, the sectors that would see the most gains would be real estate, tourism and work, with increased productivity. According to data from Trata Brasil, between 2005 and 2020, investments in sanitation supported 163.8 thousand jobs and generated R$19.7 billion in income.

The survey shows that for every R$1 invested in sanitation works, an income of R$1.57 was generated in the Brazilian economy, a relationship that shows the income multiplier effect of investments in sanitation.

In the capital of Amazonas, investments in sanitation are even more important, considering that the city is experiencing a good moment in the area in the real estate market. According to Urban Systems, Manaus is fourth in the ranking of the hundred best Brazilian cities to do real estate business. The ranking was released at the beginning of this year, through Exame magazine.

“Basic sanitation is important to prevent illnesses, harming the economy, considering that people stop going to work because they get sick. Manaus already had a lot of open sewage, which was harmful to the population, so it is clear that sanitation helps to improve people’s quality of life, improve health”,

explains Kassama when making the connection between sewage services and the economy.

Investments in Manaus

In the last 5 years, more than 200 kilometers of supply network have been implemented in vulnerable areas of Manaus, benefiting over 200 thousand people, who until then were supplied with unsourced water, which put them at risk in terms of their health and well-being. be.

According to Águas de Manaus, the service is now present in all areas of the city and continues to expand, also covering vulnerable areas. The concessionaire also aims to launch a new sewage expansion plan in Manaus, with a schedule of works for the coming years. Denise believes that this is the way to improve financial income in the future.

“We want to be a tourist city, we want to generate economic revenue from this activity, but we have to take care of that. Especially when it comes to urban issues”,

highlights Kassama.

Oversight

Although investments in sanitation are necessary even for real estate development, in the Metropolitan Region of Manaus (RMM), companies develop land subdivisions for the construction of properties, but do not undertake sewage work to meet demand.

“If there are challenges in the city of Manaus, in the metropolitan region it is even more complicated. I really like going to the Açutuba region and taking a bath. Today, I see an increase in the number of subdivisions in the area, which will be turned into residences and where will sewage waste be dumped? They will be dumped into streams and pollute bathing areas.”

Kassama believes that the Manaus Industrial Pole (PIM) is a good example of inspection, as industries need environmental licenses to build companies and a sewage project to operate freely, unlike businesses close to Manaus.

“What concerns me is not so much the industrial hub, but everything else. There must also be rigor to monitor real estate growth. Manaus has everything it needs to be a model city, a city in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, with respect for forest preservation. For this to happen, you have to take care of the sewage”,

concludes.

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