Campinas currently has 25 sewage treatment plants. The municipality has a supply rate of 99,56%. “We are close to the universalization of sanitation. We are the second city in the country with a population of over 1 million inhabitants that has sewage collection and treatment. We are only behind Curitiba”, highlighted Luís Antonio Santos, technical agent at Sanasa, during an educational activity at Unicamp. The event, promoted by the Technical Chamber of Environmental Education and the University's Environmental Collective, recalled World Water Day, celebrated on the 22nd (Wednesday).
Sanasa parked two vans in the morning at Praça das Bandeiras to provide guidance on the use of water and the savings that can be made through simple actions that speak against waste. One of the vans, which act as a kind of laboratory, showed the conscious use of sewage and the other, the conscious use of reducers at home, which can help reduce water bills. “It is not enough for Sanasa to do its part in relation to the city’s infrastructure and sewage treatment. We depend on everyday actions, such as not turning the toilet into a trash can,” said Luis. “By throwing trash in the trash, we prevent sewage backflow.”
According to Luís, Sanasa, linked to the Municipality of Campinas, is currently developing work on the rational use of water in 200 schools in the municipality that use the most water. As a result, all taps with automatic valves and valves in the bathrooms have been replaced. The savings generated can supply a city of around seven thousand inhabitants, he said. The agent regrets that many homes still release rainwater into the sewer pipes. “When it rains, a lot of runoff runs into houses. Imagine this inside the pipe. Strong pressure is created and a fountain of sewage is formed, which flows onto public roads and does not pass through a treatment plant, contaminating the rivers.”
In parallel with this project in schools, another Sanasa action is being expanded to universities, in order to raise awareness among the community that devices can be placed in their homes on taps and in the toilet, so that water is used sparingly. These recommendations and others, in fact, have been some of Unicamp's flagships. For years, the institution has been carrying out campaigns and awareness programs for its rational use, commented Maria Gineusa Medeiros, coordinator of the Sustainable University Management Group (GGUS).
She revealed that, since 2015, Unicamp has had the “Me and water at the university” Campaign. The idea is for the university community to think more about this issue. This campaign continues alongside other actions such as Environment Week. It also works with staff from the Systems Division (DSIS) of the campus City Hall and, because of this, the University has seen greater water savings, especially since 1999. DSIS has changed all the taps and installed reducers and leak detection on campus.
