The cleanup was carried out in 32 km of artificial drainage channels in the system – Photo: Florianopolis City Hall/Disclosure

Works on the discharge of water runoff into the rain drainage network of the basins of the Papakuara and Braz rivers in the northern region of Florianopolis have been completed.

According to the mayor’s office of the capital, the cleanup work was carried out in artificial drainage channels with a length of 32 km in the system.

Sand and organic matter were the main materials removed from the banks and bottom, totaling 377,000 cubic meters. The amount of sediment is equivalent to loading 37,000 aerial platforms.

The work launched in February has a direct impact on increasing rainwater runoff in the region and therefore reducing risks, says Environment and Sustainable Development Minister Fabio Braga.

The cleanup work is part of the Sanitation Pact, the largest area-focused program ever undertaken in the capital. Photo: Florianopolis City Hall/Disclosure

“The cleanup focused on removing sediment that had accumulated on the bottom of the canals and clearing the banks. This was a much needed and welcome community intervention. This is an obligation to ensure the proper functioning of the system in the region and to minimize the occurrence of flood events that damage residents and affect the environment,” stresses Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development Fabio Braga.

Before cleaning, the depth of the channels varied from 1.20 meters depending on the measurement point. After cleaning, the average depth jumped to 1.50 m measured by bathymetric processes, which allowed the technical team to monitor the change in the condition of the channels during the work being carried out.

Initiatives implemented in various areas of work

The cleanup work is part of the Sanitation Pact, the largest neighborhood-focused program ever undertaken in the capital. The project’s sectoral initiatives are primarily focused on four areas of action: bathing protection, drainage management, anticipation of Kazan’s goals, and consolidation of the drainage master plan.

The goal, explains Secretary Braga, is to change the real environmental sanitation situation in the municipality in the short and medium term.

With some work still to be done, the actions of the Sanitation Pact should change the reality of sanitation in the city in the coming years. In the medium term, it is expected to achieve such goals as almost complete coverage of domestic sewer networks and the solution of the historical problems of the city. “Outcomes that should improve quality of life, bathing speed, public health and reduce environmental impact,” adds the secretary.

Bizu robot helps to check sewer connections

Teams monitoring the capital’s sewer connections now have another reinforcement in the field, the Bizu robot. The equipment is being used by Department of the Environment teams when checking sewer connections.

The technology is used in video inspections. Consisting of four wheels, lights and a camera, the robot is controlled by a remote control and gives virtual reality glasses to whoever commands it.

In addition to the practicality of accessing the deepest points of sewer networks, the robot allows municipality crews not to break the asphalt in order to open holes that allow observation of underground structures. In these places, for example, there may be breakdowns or breaks in pipes, which indicates a malfunction of the system.

The mayor’s office explains that the purpose of the device is not to work in depth. The robot reaches a (horizontal) extent of up to 50 meters from the starting point and works in storm drains (designed for rainwater) where it seeks to identify irregular sewer connections in hard-to-reach places.

With the help of technology, technical teams can have easier access to the storm system galleries, reducing the time it takes to diagnose a problem and the cost of any necessary fixes to a city’s sanitation structure.

Increasing household connectivity to collection networks

Another important goal of the Pact is to put in order 98% of the capital’s sewer systems. To combat this historic problem in the city, program teams focused on actions to increase connectivity for households disconnected from existing collector networks.

According to the mayor’s office, families that cannot carry out adaptation work will be subsidized from the municipal basic sanitation fund.

According to the mayor’s office, in areas of special social interest, this assistance will be 100%. In other places up to 20%. Connection costs to existing systems can be paid in installments and without interest through the Kazan water and sewer tariff (Companhia Catarinense de Águas e Saneamento).

On the other hand, residents who prove that the sewer systems in their homes are working properly will be subsidized. The idea is that the new fare structure offers a collection discount.

At present, according to Se Liga na Rede, a City Hall program in partnership with Casan, waste from at least 15,000 homes located in areas where sewer networks are available to connect to homes continues to be dumped without passing through suitable systems. .

Other actions of the Pact

Beach drainage management

In terms of beach drainage, drainage cleaning services will be implemented using methods inspired by international models known as “natural solutions”; in addition to other possible actions such as the elimination of water outlets on the beach, a macrodrainage system or the integration of a hydrographic basin system by pumping.

About bathing events

In order to manage 98% of the municipal wastewater in Florianopolis by restoring the quality of the water at points that today have suffered from improperly disposed waste, the following measures are planned:

– Performance of work of Individual Treatment Systems in individual residential buildings, with the construction of technological options for wastewater treatment in the area of ​​residence;

– Performing work on connecting the house to the domestic sewerage systems; connecting households to existing collection networks;

– Implementation of works and expansion of sanitation systems, preferably in ZEIS – Areas of Special Public Interest;

– Information management, social mobilization and control of work with fellows.