This article presents an analysis of the historic, technical and environmental factors that influenced the development of a water supply system for small rural communities in seasonally flooded areas of Amazonia. Data was gathered from internal reports, interviews and water quality analysis. Principal factors identified included: the use of photovoltaic energy, well and rain water quality, the use of mobile equipment and floating structures, and community participation in equipment construction and management. We believe that the developed model is a possible solution to problems related to water access in remote flooded areas of Amazonia.
The 2030 Agenda was set in 2015 by the United Nations, with 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The Amazonian riverine people are recognized as traditional communities that have their own culture and use the local natural resources of their territories in an ancestral and traditional way. The Sustainable Development Reserve is a Brazilian protected area category which aims to ensure the protection of the natural environment while allowing the residence and the use of these lands by traditional populations. This article reports and discusses the achievements and challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals in two sustainable development reserves in Central Amazonia. The goals were evaluated in the Mamirauá and Amanã Sustainable Development Reserves, due to the large research programs developed in those areas along the past 20 years. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals have a clear connection with the mission of these sustainable development reserves in Central Amazon. Despite the many achievements conquered over the years, there are many challenges yet to overcome; and while striving to achieve the goals from the 2030 Agenda, new challenges will emerge. The current main challenges to reach the Sustainable Development Goals in the Mamirauá and Amanã Sustainable Development Reserves, in Central Amazon, are connecting to the reality of rural areas.
Riverine populations that dwell in flooded forests (várzea) require suitable solutions for sanitation. An experimental project was started in 1998, using double-vault toilets in seasonally flooded houses in the Brazilian Amazon. The objective was to improve the health of inhabitants using adequate sanitation technology and health education. The focus of the present study was the assessment of that intervention. We compiled information from reports, local assessments, and interviews with users. In 2012, 14 years after the beginning of the project, 44% of the double-vault toilets were still in use. The main benefits noticed were awareness of the importance of toilets for reducing outdoor human waste and providing comfort, privacy, and safety for families. The sanitation project succeeded in reducing open defecation and raised the interest and demand for toilets. However, there is still a need for improving the construction of toilets and to better adapt them to flooded environments. We also include suggestions for improving the toilets and their use in flooded areas.
This study analyzed environmental aspects of county and state managed public schools within Tefé county in the Brazilian Amazon, using the WASH concept (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) developed by UNICEF and OMS. WASH is a strategy used since 1995, when child mortality rates were on the rise. Research was conducted using a questionnaire applied to employees of 19 primary and secondary schools, and based on WASH principles. After its application, we used an observation checklist to assess the state of the schools' physical structure. We also conducted water quality analyses. All schools presented water contamination with total coliforms and 26% did not conduct any type of water treatment. The number of toilets in all schools was insufficient, and 47% of schools presented bathroom irregularities. The presence of flies was observed in 52%, and the accumulation of rubbish in 31% of the schools. This study demonstrates an emerging need to improve issues of water, sanitation, and hygiene in Tefé schools in order to minimize the risk of illness, which influences school routines and individual learning processes. We suggest greater investments in and care of educational institutions, stemming from both public policies and the mobilization of the local population around these issues.KEYWORDS: water, sanitation, hygiene, public schools, UNICEF Avaliação do cenário WASH (água, saneamento e higiene) em escolas urbanas e rurais de uma pequena cidade na Amazônia brasileira RESUMOEste estudo avaliou alguns aspectos do ambiente das escolas públicas municipais e estaduais do município de Tefé, localizado na Amazônia brasileira, através do conceito WASH (água, saneamento e higiene) desenvolvido por UNICEF e a OMS. O WASH é uma estratégia utilizada desde 1995, quando os índices de mortalidade infantil estavam em crescimento. O estudo foi realizado a partir da aplicação de um questionário para os funcionários de 19 escolas de ensino primário ao médio, elaborado com base nos preceitos de WASH. Na sequência, foi utilizada uma lista de observação para verificação da estrutura física. Também foram realizadas analises da qualidade da água. Todas as escolas apresentaram contaminação da água por coliformes totais e 26% não aplicam nenhum tipo de tratamento à água. Em todas as escolas a quantidade de sanitários foi insuficiente, e em 47% as instalações sanitárias apresentarem irregularidades. A presença de moscas foi observada em 52% das escolas, além do acúmulo de entulho em 31% dessas instituições. Com este estudo, constatou-se a necessidade emergente de melhorias nas questões de água, saneamento e higiene nas escolas de Tefé, visando minimizar riscos de doenças que influenciam a vida escolar e o aprendizado dos alunos. Recomendamos maiores investimentos e cuidados nas instituições escolares, tanto a partir de políticas públicas, quanto partindo da mobilização da população.
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