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André Luiz Barbosa; Felix
Valentim de Azevedo; Lilian Santana Ferreira; Leonardo Guarniere Mendes
Municipal Secretariat
for the Environment, Niterói Prefecture
The project was conducted
by the Municipal Secretariat for the Environment of Niterói jointly with
EMATER and TECMA with funds from SEMA/EMS (Environmental Management
Secretariat for Latin America and the Caribbean – IDRC-Canada).
The team --appointed by the
Secretariat for the Environment-- responsible for the execution,
coordination and monitoring of the project consists of two experts: André
Luiz Barbosa (Sanitation Engineer) and Felix Valentim de Azevedo
(Biologist) and two interns (a biologist and a geographer).
The EMATER team was
responsible for technical assistance as well as for planting and
monitoring the species used in this project. TECMA was responsible for
laboratory analyses.
The choice of the
"Capim Napier" plant used in the root areas to fixate nutrients,
was done under the guidance of EMATER –Empresa de Assitência Técnica e
Extensâo Rural (Technical Assistance and Rural Extension Company).
The roots of this plant
thrive in waterlogged muddy soils, creating an entanglement in the
sub-soil which increases the absorption surface. A large amount of water
is accumulated from the bottom to near the surface, in the part of the
tank where the roots are located.
The removal of pathogenic
micro-organisms during the process is limited and not sufficiently known
so the resulting vegetal matter cannot yet be accepted without
reservations for use as animal feed (see bibliography in annex).
In terms of its acceptance
by the neighbouring community we may report that the Engenho de Mato
Neighbours Association is accompanying the development of the Project from
its earlier stages.
It was this association
together with EMATER who chose the area where the project was to be
developed.
Due to the fact that this
is basically experimental, direct involvement takes place only by the
neighbouring community which in turn benefits from having its sewage
treated with this system.
The academic and/or
scientific community make requests for presentations at their institutions
whenever they learn through the media of the existence of this kind of
sewage treatment. As an example we could mention the University of Salgado
de Oliveira, during the "VI Symposium on the Environment" and
the BENNETT Methodist Institute, for their course on Environmental
Sanitation in their School of Architecture and Urbanism.
At the government level,
this Project was presented during the GI5 at the Municipality of Búzios,
that is, during the meeting of the Group of 15 Municipalities around the
Guanabara Bay that gathered together in an environmental crusade and whose
president is our secretary Luiz Fernando Guida.
The Municipalities
attending this meeting were: Belford Roxo, Búzios, Cachoeira de Macacu,
Duque de Caxias, Itaboraí, Guapimirim, Magé, Maricá, Nilópolis, Niterói,
Nova Iguaçu, Petrópolis, Queimados, Rio Bonito, Rio de Janeiro, Sâo Gonçalo,
Sâo Joâo de Meriti, Tanguá and Teresópolis.
The Municipality of Rio
Bonito requested information on the feasibility of using this type of
treatment for waste resulting from pig farming.
In addition, the
Municipality of Patí do Alferes, though not belonging to the group of 15,
visited us to look into the possibility of treating slaughterhouse
effluents, whose processing has generated environmental problems to the
municipality.
We believe that the
dissemination of this project lies within the scope of responsibility of
the government.
Through EMATER –Empresa
de Asisténcia Técnica e Extensâo Rural—this project has been
disseminated within the municipality and the State, by means of organised
events, videos and publications in their periodical magazine.
EMATER is monitoring
vegetation in the roots area, following growth with attention and
considering the possibility of using rice to replace Capim Napier, as they
both share the characteristic of thriving in flooded soils, and rice also
seems to obtain a higher absorption of nutrients compared to Capim Napier
and could conceivably be used –once cooked-- as food for human
consumption. This will, of course, require a more frequent monitoring of
laboratory analyses.
The whole dissemination of
this project has been transparent and reflects all views contributed in
the debates.
Professor Gandhi Giordano,
leader of this Project will be in charge of its publication during the
periods of scientific dissemination.
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