The Sanepar Choir, founded in 1983, beautifully opened the 17th IWA Conference on Small Water and Wastewater Systems (SWWS) and the 9th IWA Conference on Resource Oriented Sanitation (ROS) late Sunday afternoon, November 10th, at the Mário de Mari Auditorium, located at the Federation of Industries of the State of Paraná (FIEP) Campus, in Curitiba (PR).
Karen Juliana do Amaral, Vice-President of the Brazilian Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering (ABES), welcomed attendees, highlighting the honor of Curitiba—an internationally recognized city for its sustainability practices—hosting the event, which was designed to acknowledge participants as protagonists in a sustainable future. "Our mission is to drive the universalization of water and sewage services, and education is essential to achieving this goal," she said.
Daniela Benfica, Director of Strategic Programs and Engagement at IWA, thanked the Institute's nine thousand members and all local organizers who made the event possible. "We cannot discuss water and wastewater services without addressing climate issues. The water and sanitation sectors are accelerators of climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions, but they can also play a key role in building the resilience of cities. Decentralized systems are flexible and adaptable, allowing us to respond more effectively to climate challenges. Most developing countries are far from achieving SDG 6, and we are not yet following the example of global North countries. It is crucial that we implement new systems in smart ways, and in this context, decentralization plays a key role in contributing to urban resilience," she emphasized.
Next, ABES President Marcel Costa Sanches highlighted the strengthening of the Association's partnership with IWA. "The focus of this event is crucial for the development of Latin America, bringing sanitation to remote communities, including rural and indigenous areas. By recovering and reusing valuable resources, we are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We are excited to discuss innovations in the sector and explore new forms of investment to face this challenge. The World Water Congress, which will take place in 2030 in São Paulo, will be the highlight of the global water sector, and we are united with IWA in this achievement. May the event in Curitiba inspire us to apply the knowledge discussed here to transform lives," he said.
Clovis Zapata, representative of UNIDO in Brazil, emphasized the institution's fundamental role in integrating industries into sustainable development. "Water is one of the key issues behind many armed conflicts. We are still not on the right path to achieve the goals set for 2033. Three and a half billion people still lack proper sanitation, and two billion do not have an adequate place to wash their hands," he reminded the audience. "The United Nations (UN) has established a series of specific strategies to stimulate the development of companies and countries working in these areas to change this scenario, including strengthening collective leadership that must prioritize water and sanitation as a human development goal and the coherence of public policies, looking at SDG 6 as the overall objective to be achieved. Events like this allow the exchange of essential knowledge to address the need for development and distributed systems. Although we are not yet fully aligned with SDG 6, we are developing actions that will lead us to this goal," Zapata emphasized.
André Bezerra dos Santos, vice-coordinator of the National Institutes of Science and Technology (INCT), highlighted the significant gap in advancing sustainable technologies for wastewater treatment. According to him, it is essential to clarify the concept of "small"—what may be small for São Paulo could be large for other regions. Another crucial point is defining criteria to evaluate sustainability in effluent treatment practices. "Our institute, which has been operating across the country for seven years, aims to contribute effectively to addressing climate change. We want to go beyond scientific publications and have a strong impact on public policies," he said.
Graciela de Muniz, Rector of the Federal University of Technology of Paraná (UTFPR), highlighted the university's 112 years of history and its key role in addressing significant issues, such as those discussed at the event. "We train professionals who will face the major challenges of the 21st century. We need to be prepared to seek solutions, and collaboration between universities, businesses, and government will be essential to achieve this goal," she stated.
Demetrius Nichele Macei, President of Sanepar's Advisory Council, presented the company’s statistics, noting that it serves 9 million people with wastewater collection and treatment in 305 municipalities across the state. "We promote public health and social well-being. In the cities where we operate, 100% of the population has access to drinking water. We remain steadfast in our purpose of maintaining public health through sustainable sanitation," he said.
Nilo Cini Júnior, coordinator of the Environmental Council of the Federation of Industries of the State of Paraná (FIEP), representing FIEP President Edson Vasconcelos, highlighted the institution's interest in the event’s discussions. "Effluent treatment, water reuse, and reverse logistics are already practices in industries across our state and are on FIEP's agenda. Our council is conducting research to identify the main water resource challenges in Paraná. The results will be crucial in developing strategies to promote a more sustainable environment in our state," he said.
José Carlos Dias Lopes da Conceição, President of the Paraná Engineering Institute (IEP), and Euclésio Finatti, Parliamentary Advisor to the Regional Council of Engineering and Agronomy of Paraná (Crea-PR), spoke on behalf of the presidents of Confea and Crea-PR. Finatti highlighted, "We are part of the Paraná River Basin Committee, working to implement actions like those discussed at this event in the municipalities."
Ibson Gabriel Martins, Director of Water Resources at the Curitiba City Hall, pointed out that the city already has over 90% coverage in wastewater collection and treatment but acknowledged that challenges remain that could be reassessed based on the discussions of the event.
Cláudio Stábile, State Secretary of Administration and Social Security, representing Governor Carlos Massa Ratinho Júnior, recalled the challenges faced by the state in 2020 and 2021, which were overcome thanks to the work of Sanepar's technical team. "These difficult moments opened our eyes and prepared us for the positive results we are now reaping," he said.
Gustavo de Lima Ramos, representing the Ministry of Science and Innovation, emphasized that "water is a public health issue, and to move forward effectively, we need to go beyond traditional models, adopting innovative technologies. We are encouraging the use of digital tools and AI to monitor water quality in real time. Wastewater treatment and water reuse offer opportunities to reduce emissions, and we are investing in technology to decarbonize these activities. We are working to train technicians and researchers, aligning our actions with other public policies for a more sustainable future."
The event concluded with the signing of a memorandum between IWA and ABES, which will strengthen the collaboration between the JABES program and the Young Water Professionals. "With today’s signing, we now have 47 national chapters, further strengthening the integration between national and international young professionals," Daniela Benfica celebrated.The Sanepar Choir, founded in 1983, beautifully opened the 17th IWA Small Water and Wastewater Systems Conference and the 9th IWA Resource-Oriented Sanitation Conference late Sunday afternoon, November 10th, at the Mário de Mari Auditorium, located at the Federation of Industries of the State of Paraná (FIEP) Campus, in Curitiba (PR).
Karen Juliana do Amaral, Vice-President of the Brazilian Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering (ABES), welcomed attendees, highlighting the honor of Curitiba—an internationally recognized city for its sustainability practices—hosting the event, which was designed to acknowledge participants as protagonists in a sustainable future. "Our mission is to drive the universalization of water and sewage services, and education is essential to achieving this goal," she said.
Daniela Benfica, Director of Strategic Programs and Engagement at IWA, thanked the Institute's nine thousand members and all local organizers who made the event possible. "We cannot discuss water and wastewater services without addressing climate issues. The water and sanitation sectors are accelerators of climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions, but they can also play a key role in building the resilience of cities. Decentralized systems are flexible and adaptable, allowing us to respond more effectively to climate challenges. Most developing countries are far from achieving SDG 6, and we are not yet following the example of global North countries. It is crucial that we implement new systems in smart ways, and in this context, decentralization plays a key role in contributing to urban resilience," she emphasized.
Next, ABES President Marcel Costa Sanches highlighted the strengthening of the Association's partnership with IWA. "The focus of this event is crucial for the development of Latin America, bringing sanitation to remote communities, including rural and indigenous areas. By recovering and reusing valuable resources, we are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We are excited to discuss innovations in the sector and explore new forms of investment to face this challenge. The World Water Congress, which will take place in 2030 in São Paulo, will be the highlight of the global water sector, and we are united with IWA in this achievement. May the event in Curitiba inspire us to apply the knowledge discussed here to transform lives," he said.
Clovis Zapata, representative of UNIDO in Brazil, emphasized the institution's fundamental role in integrating industries into sustainable development. "Water is one of the key issues behind many armed conflicts. We are still not on the right path to achieve the goals set for 2033. Three and a half billion people still lack proper sanitation, and two billion do not have an adequate place to wash their hands," he reminded the audience. "The United Nations (UN) has established a series of specific strategies to stimulate the development of companies and countries working in these areas to change this scenario, including strengthening collective leadership that must prioritize water and sanitation as a human development goal and the coherence of public policies, looking at SDG 6 as the overall objective to be achieved. Events like this allow the exchange of essential knowledge to address the need for development and distributed systems. Although we are not yet fully aligned with SDG 6, we are developing actions that will lead us to this goal," Zapata emphasized.
André Bezerra dos Santos, vice-coordinator of the National Institutes of Science and Technology (INCT), highlighted the significant gap in advancing sustainable technologies for wastewater treatment. According to him, it is essential to clarify the concept of "small"—what may be small for São Paulo could be large for other regions. Another crucial point is defining criteria to evaluate sustainability in effluent treatment practices. "Our institute, which has been operating across the country for seven years, aims to contribute effectively to addressing climate change. We want to go beyond scientific publications and have a strong impact on public policies," he said.
Graciela de Muniz, Rector of the Federal University of Technology of Paraná (UTFPR), highlighted the university's 112 years of history and its key role in addressing significant issues, such as those discussed at the event. "We train professionals who will face the major challenges of the 21st century. We need to be prepared to seek solutions, and collaboration between universities, businesses, and government will be essential to achieve this goal," she stated.
Demetrius Nichele Macei, President of Sanepar's Advisory Council, presented the company’s statistics, noting that it serves 9 million people with wastewater collection and treatment in 305 municipalities across the state. "We promote public health and social well-being. In the cities where we operate, 100% of the population has access to drinking water. We remain steadfast in our purpose of maintaining public health through sustainable sanitation," he said.
Nilo Cini Júnior, coordinator of the Environmental Council of the Federation of Industries of the State of Paraná (FIEP), representing FIEP President Edson Vasconcelos, highlighted the institution's interest in the event’s discussions. "Effluent treatment, water reuse, and reverse logistics are already practices in industries across our state and are on FIEP's agenda. Our council is conducting research to identify the main water resource challenges in Paraná. The results will be crucial in developing strategies to promote a more sustainable environment in our state," he said.
José Carlos Dias Lopes da Conceição, President of the Paraná Engineering Institute (IEP), and Euclésio Finatti, Parliamentary Advisor to the Regional Council of Engineering and Agronomy of Paraná (Crea-PR), spoke on behalf of the presidents of Confea and Crea-PR. Finatti highlighted, "We are part of the Paraná River Basin Committee, working to implement actions like those discussed at this event in the municipalities."
Ibson Gabriel Martins, Director of Water Resources at the Curitiba City Hall, pointed out that the city already has over 90% coverage in wastewater collection and treatment but acknowledged that challenges remain that could be reassessed based on the discussions of the event.
Cláudio Stábile, State Secretary of Administration and Social Security, representing Governor Carlos Massa Ratinho Júnior, recalled the challenges faced by the state in 2020 and 2021, which were overcome thanks to the work of Sanepar's technical team. "These difficult moments opened our eyes and prepared us for the positive results we are now reaping," he said.
Gustavo de Lima Ramos, representing the Ministry of Science and Innovation, emphasized that "water is a public health issue, and to move forward effectively, we need to go beyond traditional models, adopting innovative technologies. We are encouraging the use of digital tools and AI to monitor water quality in real time. Wastewater treatment and water reuse offer opportunities to reduce emissions, and we are investing in technology to decarbonize these activities. We are working to train technicians and researchers, aligning our actions with other public policies for a more sustainable future."
The event concluded with the signing of a memorandum between IWA and ABES, which will strengthen the collaboration between the JABES program and the Young Water Professionals. "With today’s signing, we now have 47 national chapters, further strengthening the integration between national and international young professionals," Daniela Benfica celebrated.
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