Water For All (in Portuguese: Água Para Todos). Related SDGs: 1,2, 3, 6, 8 and 9.
Description
Water for All program was created to achieve universal and adequate access and use of water to populations that do not have access to this essential public service, and is part of the 2016-2019 MAP of the State Government of Maranhão.<br />
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Through the Environmental Sanitation Company of Maranhão (CAEMA), the State Government of Maranhão has been investing in the entire territory of Maranhão, with state and federal resources, to expand and improve water supply in the state.
Objective of the practice. Distinguishing feature(s) making it an effective response to the SDGs/2030 Agenda (e.g. integration of environmental, social, economic indicators; design for acceleration of progress or for reaching the furthest behind; interlinkages among the SDGs and targets; institutional changes; other innovative change in line with the transformative spirit of the 2030 Agenda.,etc.) Describe how challenges were met, and difficulties overcome.<br />
Water for All program aims at promoting universal access to water in Maranhão. To this end, investments in the expansion and improvement of Water Supply Systems, drilling of wells and acquisition and installation of micro and macromeditors are being carried out throughout the state.<br />
The practice links directly to Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, but by the characteristics of the initiative itself, it also connects to Goals 1, 2, 3, 8 and 9. Water is a natural resource essential to the maintenance of life and its scarcity has a direct impact on the health and food security of the population. As it is an initiative that prizes mainly for the execution of civil works and has a large budget, it results in the generation of income and stimulation of Maranhão’s economy, which directly and indirectly impacts thousands of people involved in the executive process of the interventions.<br />
As a Program that involves the hiring of companies specialized in the provision of engineering services and supply of materials for the entire state of Maranhão, a challenge emerges in this market which is still under development, with difficulties in establishing partnerships. In this way, the promotion of good practices is of great importance.<br />
Institutional challenges are also present in the implementation of the Program, due to the need of coordination with local authorities (executive and legislative). The conciliation of civil works with local dynamics, employment relations, the use of sustainable techniques and innovations in general may find some resistance from local actors. Management and economic-financial sustainability of Water Supply Systems can also be a point of difficulty, depending on local factors.<br />
The ambition of achieving universal access to water in the state is a great challenge. Data from 2017 (SNIS) indicates that only 52.70% of the population of Maranhão has access to water supply.
It is also worth mentioning the partnerships with some Secretariats of State, in particular SEDIHPOP - Secretariat of Human Rights and Popular Participation as coordinator of the More HDI Program, SEPLAN - Secretariat of Planning as financial coordinator and SEMA - Secretariat of State for Environment and Resources in providing environmental licenses for the interventions.
Once the scope of each Water For All project was conceived, the necessary actions were taken to implement them. This included the preparation of basic and executive projects, obtaining resources for financing, hiring of materials and services suppliers, execution of the interventions, inspection and operation.
During the execution phase of the projects, monitoring was carried out by CAEMA’s departments responsible for contracts management and inspection, concomitant with the monitoring of SEDIHPOP and SEPLAN. In federal financed projects, there was also monitoring by a specialized managing company.
Water for All program is composed of several actions, which are:
• More HDI Plan: An integrated program of the Government of Maranhão to improve social indicators in the 30 municipalities with the lowest HDI in the state, CAEMA being responsible for expanding and improving the Water Supply Systems of these municipalities.
• Water Supply System Revitalization Program (PRS): expansion and improvement of Water Supply Systems in municipalities of Maranhão operated by CAEMA, except for municipalities already included in the More HDI Plan;
• Rehabilitation and operational improvement of the Italuís System: Replacement of 19 km of the Italuís System pipeline, in addition to other interventions related to the improvement of the pipeline. Italuís System is the main source of water supply for the capital of Maranhão;
• Rehabilitation and operational improvement of Imperatriz and Açailândia’s systems: The action involves the expansion and improvement of Water Supply Systems in the cities of Imperatriz and Açailândia;
• Growth Acceleration Program - PAC (Water System): The action involves the expansion and improvement of Water Supply Systems in the municipalities of Chapadinha, Pinheiro and Tutóia;
• Wells drilling: The action contemplates wells drilled in the above mentioned Programs and in other locations;
• Simplified Water Supply System (SSAA): The purpose of the action is to drill wells and build small water tanks in villages in the State;
• Acquisition and installation of macromeditors in São Luís: The action contemplates the installation of macromeditors in the water supply network of the city of São Luís.
• Acquisition and installation of water meters in São Luís: The action contemplates the installation of water meters in the city of São Luís.
• More HDI Plan: The main improvements involve the increase of water flow and water production in most systems through drilling and maintenance of wells, improvement and increase of water storage capacity with the construction and maintenance of water tanks, replacement and expansion of water distribution networks, and new connecting branches, contemplating new residents with running water. Works in the amount of approximately R$ 48 million were contracted;
• Water Supply Revitalization Program (PRS): In general, the main improvements of this action involved the expansion of the distribution network, recovery of Water Treatment Station, reform and improvement of Gross and Treated Water Pumping Stations, recovery of water tanks and maintenance of wells and new connecting branches, contemplating new residents with running water. Contracted value of approximately R$ 13 million;
• Rehabilitation and operational improvement of the Italuís system: The delivery of this important work allows the Italuís System to improve water supply of the population of São Luís, with a planned increase of 500 liters per second, approximately 30%, benefiting 600 thousand people, in 159 neighborhoods of the capital. Contracted value of approximately R$ 129 million;
• Rehabilitation and operational improvement of Imperatriz and Açailândia’s systems: With the expansion of Imperatriz’s distribution network, 50km of network were replaced and expanded and 2,000 new branch lines were deployed, with a contracted value of approximately R$ 12 million;
• Growth Acceleration Program - PAC (Water System): The main advance of this action was the implementation of water production and distribution in the municipality of Tutóia. Contracted amount of approximately R$ 41 million;
• Wells drilling The main result of this action is the increase of water production in the municipalities. Contracted value of approximately R$ 51 million;
• Simplified Water Supply System (SSAA): This action increases the production of water in the regions where it is carried out, with actions such as wells drilling and water tanks construction. Contracted value of approximately R$ 9 million;
• Acquisition and installation of macromeditors in São Luís: All macromeditors are in full operation and allow a better management of the Company. Data on the flow and volume of water produced and distributed to the city's districts are made available on the internet. Contracted value of approximately R$ 1 million;
• Acquisition and installation of water meters in São Luís: Up to now more than 21 thousand water meters have been installed, increasing the São Luís hydrometric index from 23% to 32%. Contracted value of approximately R$ 27 million.
A good example is the More HDI Program, which involves almost all of the secretariats of the State of Maranhão, and targets the Government's number 1 goal, which is to end poverty in all its forms, everywhere.
The Program consists of a series of actions coordinated by SEDIHPOP - Secretariat of Human Rights and Popular Participation, with the following 6 axes: education; work and income; health and sanitation; infrastructure, management, citizenship and popular participation and gender, race and youth. Each axis unfolding in a Program within each secretariat. With CAEMA linked to the health and sanitation axis, it is responsible for improving and expanding the water supply networks in the municipalities of the More HDI Program. The fact that this project is a priority has made internal procedures to the Company faster and more effective, contributing to the high level of deliveries.
The articulation with the municipal power was a decisive factor for the success of the actions, mainly considering that municipalities hold the ownership of the environmental sanitation, resting on them the decision to grant or not the operations to CAEMA. The decision of the need of charging a water tariff becomes the scene of disputes. In several cases, the municipality was against charging the tariff, but did not offer the necessary conditions to enable the financial sustainability of the system for its own account. Considering the reality of the municipalities of Maranhão, CAEMA has shown an interest in operating the systems, provided that the condition of collection by the service is met.
In the environmental issue, the interventions were only paid upon presentation by the contractor of all environmental documentation due.
In order to actively address the social aspect of its actions, CAEMA carries out activities to raise awareness among the population of municipalities benefiting from public policies, through its Socio-Environmental Coordination.
Given the experience accumulated in the Program, CAEMA develops internal seminars to disseminate good practices and training of its employees, among them the learnings in contract management obtained while conducting the actions of the Water for All Program.
As for the replicability of actions, CAEMA and the Government of Maranhão consider the search for universal access to water in the state as fundamental. In this way, efforts are focused both on maintaining and increasing the efficiency of its supply systems, as well as expanding its area of operation to populations that have not yet been served.
The Government of the State of Maranhão, through CAEMA, has been making important investments in the direction of universal access to water, a basic input for the full development of any society. The Water for All Program is aligned with UN Sustainable Development Objectives and contributes directly to raising social indicators in Maranhão.<br />
In addition to expanding the availability of water in different regions of the state through the construction of new infrastructure, the Program also seeks to maintain and increase the efficiency of existing infrastructure, a crucial measure in the feasibility of any water supply operation.<br />
The various actions of the Program resulted in increased flows and water productions, increased water storage capacity, replacement and expansion of distribution networks, new connection lines, maintenance of Water Treatment Station and Gross and Treated Water Pumping Stations, maintenance of water pipelines, wells and water tanks and implantation of micro and macrometering systems.<br />
It is clear that an initiative of this size will face technical, administrative and operational challenges. The efficient management of dozens of simultaneous contracts is a determining factor in meeting the stipulated goals, and coordinated action among different stakeholders is fundamental. Pre-planning of actions is preventive in nature and increases the efficiency of compliance with the physical-financial schedule of the interventions.
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Alan Ilchilevici de Oliveira, Public Management Trainee