Podcasts produced in Rio show the importance of water

In allusion to World Water Day, celebrated this Wednesday (22), the Guandu-RJ Committee launched the first of a series of five podcast episodes (audio content), bringing together members of the collegiate and invited specialists to inform the population the values ​​of water and how collective and individual actions help preserve rivers and all biodiversity. The Guandu-RJ Committee, created on April 3, 2002 and headquartered in Seropédica, Baixada Fluminense, is a collegiate body linked to the State Water Resources Council (CERHI). The objective is to promote the decentralized and participatory management of water resources in the hydrographic basin, developing studies and environmental programs. To the committee to develop studies to improve the quantity and quality of the water that supplies the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. Podcasts will be available on the committee’s main audio platforms, dissemination channels and social networks: soundcloud, spotify, deezer, google podcast and apple podcast. The institutional manager of the Associação Pró-Gestão das Águas da Bacia Hidroográfica do Rio Paraíba do Sul (Agevasp) and responsible for the Communication of the Guandu-RJ Committee, Antonio de Souza Mendes, informed Agência Brasil that the episodes also deal with the management of water resources , seeking to improve the quality and quantity of raw water, remembering that people can also participate in this system. The first episode, The Water Resources Management System in the State of Rio de Janeiro – History and advances has as its theme the advances obtained by the state from the charging for the use of water. The remaining four episodes will be published until April 17th, including the 21st anniversary of the Guandu Committee, on the next 3rd. the Sanear Guandu. Water footprint The second podcast, scheduled for next week, shows the concept of water and water footprint. Entitled How much is water worth?, the episode deals with new concepts and new scientific methods, which show the use of water. Chicken meat, for example, needs almost 15,000 liters of water per kilogram to be produced. “People need to have an idea of ​​how important this input is and is present in our daily lives, much more than what comes out of our taps and that is in the glasses of water”, highlighted the manager. In the chapter on green infrastructure, it will be shown how important forests and biomes are, including the Guandu River and its importance in generating energy and supplying almost 10 million people in the metropolitan region of Rio. The catchment of the Guandu River Water Treatment Station (ETA Guandu) treats 43,000 liters of water per second and is the largest water treatment plant in the world, recognized by the Guinness Book (Book of Records) in 2014, according to Antonio Mendes. The series of episodes warns about the risks that climate change can bring to water. The main objective of the podcast is “to make people aware of the importance that water has for our lives, for the productive sector, and the importance of taking care of this good”. Issues that contribute to this are addressed, from the correct disposal of waste, the need for sewage treatment, including all sustainable practices that will lead the population to preserve rivers and existing water. Mendes recalled that although Brazil is a privileged country in the world, in terms of fresh water, water is a finite and limited resource. “This is the main objective of the podcast: we have water, yes, but if we don’t take care of it, we will end up not having any more. The rivers will lose their drinking conditions and we will have a very serious problem”, he warned. Water in the taps The start of work at the Águas do Rio concessionaire, after the privatization of the services of the State Water and Sewage Company of Rio de Janeiro (Cedae), led to 62,000 people from Rio de Janeiro having water in the taps for the first time, from implementation of more than 100 kilometers (km) of networks implemented in the cities of Duque de Caxias, São João de Meriti, Magé, Belford Roxo, Nova Iguaçu, Nilópolis, Mesquita, Japeri and Queimados, in Baixada Fluminense. Marisa Helena, a resident of Vila Meriti, in Duque de Caxias, was one of those people. She said that 12 years ago, she had to ask her neighbors for help to get some water at home. “Today I have water, the basics for any human being. This is a blessing, I am very happy and fulfilled”, said the resident. The superintendent director of Águas do Rio, Luiz Fabbriani, stated that the World Water Day, celebrated this Wednesday (22), is an opportunity to celebrate the transformation of the reality of the people of Rio de Janeiro. According to the report, the company’s main objective is to promote services in order to transform people’s reality into something better, “with treated water in the taps and a smile on the face of satisfaction. This is what drives us to want to go further and do an even better job.” Monitoring At Rio+Saneamento, the concessionaire responsible for basic sanitation in 18 municipalities in the state, including 24 neighborhoods in the west zone of the capital, the quality sector teams work daily to ensure that the water arrives colorless, tasteless and odorless to household taps , meeting the standards determined by the Ministry of Health. The treatment plants (ETAs) have operational laboratories that verify the conditions of the water that is distributed. The water quality report is published monthly on the concessionaire’s website and also posted on the customer’s account. Since it began operating in August last year, more than 700,000 analyzes have already been carried out in the concessionaire’s laboratories. According to the president of Rio+Saneamento, Leonardo Righetto, World Water Day is an opportunity to ratify the commitment signed with customers. For him, taking care of water means taking care of the environment and people’s health. In seven months of operation, Rio+Saneamento’s mobile laboratory carried out around 56,000 analyzes of collected water samples. The concessionaire also works with education for the rational use of water, promoting lectures on environmental awareness and the importance of basic sanitation in schools and communities.

Agência Brasil