Measures to provide all Brazilian homes with access to public water and sewage systems gained international backing.
On Friday, July 1st, Brazil’s Minister of Cities, Olívio Dutra, signed a technical cooperation protocol with the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) on behalf of efforts to improve the quality of life of the population.
"Basic sanitation, salubrious housing, and accessible, versatile transportation are synonyms of qualify of life. And health and quality of life go hand in hand," Dutra affirmed.
The agreement provides for joint research and studies to map the problem of environmental sanitation and housing throughout the country. Based on this survey, measures will be determined for the Ministry to implement with PAHO support.
Dutra explained that the objective of the partnership is to enable Brazil to fulfill the Goals of the Millennium in the areas of housing and sanitation. The goals were established by the member countries of the United Nations.
One of the commitments is to halve the percentage of the population without permanent and sustainable access to potable water by 2015.
The other refers to substantial improvements in the living conditions of residents of degraded areas, with advances in basic sanitation services and regularization of property rights.
For the PAHO representative in Brazil, Horácio Toro, this experience in big cities and, especially, in peripheral neighborhoods will serve as a model for other countries.
ABr – www.radiobras.gov.br
