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Unicamp brings sanitation to rural properties

Project that combines research and extension has implemented simple, cheap and effective technologies on sites in Campinas

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Project that combines research and extension developed by researchers from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urbanism (FEC) at Unicamp has implemented simple, cheap and effective sanitation technologies in sites located in the Pedra Branca neighborhood, rural area of ​​Campinas. The objective of the initiative, which provides important social and environmental gains, is to multiply the experience in order to benefit the largest possible number of small rural properties spread across Brazil. The work gave rise to a website, a book, two booklets and some videos that provide details about the installation, operation and maintenance of the systems.

Named “Rural Sanitation”, the project is led by the group called “Effluent Treatment and Resource Recovery”, which is coordinated by professors Adriano Luiz Tonetti and Luana Mattos de Oliveira Cruz, both from FEC. He explains that the research and extension actions have taken place so far in the context of the doctoral work of biologist Isabel Campos Salles Figueiredo. “Unicamp has a tradition in studies in the area of ​​sanitation, which dates back to the 1990s. Now, with Isabel's contribution, we incorporate a new perspective. Previously, studies were carried out on a laboratory or pilot scale, in a more controlled manner. Now, we go into the field and implement the technologies, always with the participation of the community”, she details.

According to Isabel, the project is divided into three stages. The first corresponds to the diagnosis. At this stage, researchers establish a dialogue with rural landowners in order to learn about the local reality, identify each one's needs and find out which of them are willing to participate in the actions. “Everything is done based on the spontaneous participation of the community, as they are the ones who will get their hands dirty and help implement and maintain the technologies”, observes the biologist.

Photo: Scarpa
Professor Adriano Tonetti, project coordinator: “Our purpose is to disseminate technologies and give autonomy to rural producers to efficiently treat their own sewage”

The second phase involves precisely the discussion around the selection of the most appropriate technology for each case. In total, there are 15 treatment systems and three final disposal systems for treated sewage. Of these, three or four are normally selected, taking into account the characteristics of the rural enterprise. The final say on which technique will be effectively adopted always rests with the rural producer. “Over the first four years of the project, Unicamp provided the necessary materials and the community provided the labor, in the form of a joint effort. This system worked very well”, says Isabel.

The third stage comprises the actual application of the chosen solution. “Afterwards, we taught a practical and theoretical course on how each technology works, with the participation of residents, Unicamp students and guests. Lastly, we monitored the technologies for eight months to assess their efficiency. What we found is that they are working very well and that residents are not finding it difficult to maintain them”, assures the biologist.

A point highlighted by Professor Tonetti is the multidisciplinary aspect that involves the project. According to him, in addition to FEC students, the activities also include the participation of students from other areas of knowledge, such as Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Biology, Architecture, Pharmacy, Social Sciences and even Pedagogy. “We must remember that we are dealing with a topic that encompasses different biases, such as social, environmental, public health, etc. Therefore, just one area of ​​knowledge would not be enough to reach all these dimensions”, he says.


Technologies

The technologies used in the process are simple, cheap and, according to FEC researchers, very effective. They use materials found in the rural environment, such as bamboo, coconut shells and straw, which help treat sewage collected directly from the toilet or other generating sources present in a residence. Some solutions use commercial materials, such as water tanks, but nothing very expensive. Furthermore, some models associate the planting of banana, taioba and other crops in the vicinity of the systems, so that they consume water and nutrients from the sewage. “These foods can be consumed normally because there is no contamination of any kind”, reassures Professor Tonetti.

According to him, the group's expectation is that the work developed with the Pedra Branca neighborhood community can be brought to the attention of not only the largest number of small rural landowners possible, but also to authorities at different levels of government, so that the problem of lack of sanitation in rural areas is addressed with accessible solutions. “Often, we see advertisements stating that this or that municipality has a certain percentage of sewage collected and/or treated. It turns out that this reality does not reach rural areas, where water and sewage are seen as the owner's responsibilities. As this producer is not always able to implement effective technical solutions, contamination of the soil and groundwater usually occurs, which in turn is consumed by the property's residents”, points out Professor Tonetti.

Photo: Scarpa
Biologist Isabel Figueiredo, author of the doctoral thesis: “Everything is done based on the spontaneous participation of the community, as it is they who will get their hands dirty and help implement and maintain the technologies”

Data provided by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (PNAD 2015) indicate that approximately 12,6% of rural households surveyed do not have any sewage treatment system and that 57,7% adopt solutions considered inadequate for sanitary sewage. Even with Isabel completing her doctorate, the FEC project will continue, says the professor. In addition, from 2019 onwards, an extension course will be offered every six months that will cover all these topics, and in which everyone from rural landowners to professionals working in the sanitation area will be able to participate. The course will be paid for, but the organizers have reserved five free places in each class, to cover small producers who are unable to bear the costs.

“Our purpose is to disseminate technologies and give autonomy to rural producers to efficiently treat their own sewage”, reinforces Tonetti. The project was funded by the Dean of Extension and Culture (Proec) at Unicamp and with the collaboration of several institutions, such as the Association of Residents and Rural Producers of Pedra Branca, the Brazilian Association of Environmental and Sanitary Engineering São Paulo Section (ABES SP ), Campinas and Region Natural Agriculture Association (ANC), Campinas City Hall, Comprehensive Technical Assistance Coordination (CATI), Campinas Rural Union (SRC), Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiaí River Basin Committee (PCJ Committee) , Unicamp Agroecology Network (RAU). Isabel, in turn, had a scholarship granted by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes), a funding agency linked to the Ministry of Education.


Benefits

The rural landowners and residents of the Pedra Branca neighborhood who joined the project approved the technologies presented by the Unicamp research team. They considered the solutions practical and efficient. “Several producers here are aware that it is necessary to carry out this type of treatment, to improve the quality of life not only for themselves, but for society as a whole. The recipients began to see more clearly how good this has been. The other day, talking to one of the producers considered, he said that he is feeling happy because he is not producing so many things that destroy the environment. It was worth it”, analyzes Francisco Augusto de Souza, one of the directors of the Association of Rural Owners and Residents of the Pedra Branca Neighborhood and Region, in a video produced by the researchers.

Photos: Disclosure
Systems developed by FEC-Unicamp researchers use materials found in the rural environment, such as bamboo, coconut shells and straw, which help treat sewage collected directly from the toilet or other generating sources

Noemia Kumagai, also director of the association, reveals that at the beginning of the project it was difficult to obtain buy-in from rural landowners, who showed distrust. “No one wanted to be the first to join. Now that the project has started to work, even those who didn't want it are wanting it. There has been great progress.” Nestor Teatin, rural producer, tells how the situation was before: “It used to be a normal septic tank. A hole where things were thrown. It was a lot of trouble. I needed to open a new one every three or four years. It spilled water and caused problems for the land and water.”

The technology implemented on the Teatin property was a green pit or evapotranspiration basin (BET) consisting of a waterproofed hole in which tires, rubble, gravel, coarse sand and earth contribute to the treatment of sewage. According to FEC-Unicamp researchers, this technique is capable of eliminating 90% of organic matter. The remaining 10% and nutrients naturally present in the sewage are used by banana and taioba trees planted in the system, allowing food production. The remaining water evaporates or is transpired by the plants.


Links

http://www.fec.unicamp.br/~saneamentorural/

https://www.facebook.com/saneamentoambiente

 

 

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