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
Agência Brasil