Planos municipais de saneamento básico (PMSB): instrumento para universalização do abastecimento de água e do esgotamento sanitário

Abstract

The present research is a small part of the PROBE (Benchmarking for pro - poor Water Services Provision), international project that seeks integration and knowledge sharing and appropriate technologies to solve the complex problem of universalization, specially water supply and sewerage. The PROBE focuses on the development of benchmarking techniques to measure the delivery of these services to populations in poverty. The overall objective was to assess the contents of Municipal Plans of Basic Sanitation (PMSB) as an effective instrument for management of municipal policy sector to achieve the universalization of basic sanitation services. Initially, from documentation assessment, 2 7 PMSB were selected but only 2 2 wer e analyzed. They were distributed in nine Federati on States which corresponded all five geographic regions of Brazil. Using a checklist prepared especially for this research, the information content of PMSB was collected and systematized for evaluation in terms of the Federal Law Nº 11,445/2007, with emphasis on the minimum content required (art. 19). The study pointed that there are various possibilities of territorial units use for analysis and planning in PMSB, in addition to the hydrograph basins, and t hat the ideal situation is the one that data, information or indicators are already available. It was found that some PMSB have not covered the entire municipal territory planning. Furthermore, epidemiology and health issues, as well as basic sanitation, c overed during the diagnostic phase, required a deeper analysis, both individually and together. Additionally, the understanding and structure given to programs, projects and actions required to achieve the goals and objectives of short, medium and long ter ms for the universalization (article 19, sections II and III) assumes no correlative concepts to the one ́s used in planning. By Association, to most of the PMSB analyzed, the standard nomenclature adopted by the Federal Law Nº 11,445/2007 – programs, proje cts and actions – was similar with the technical terminology for routine used by the services provider such as: loss program, executive project of works, investment program, works, among others. This research tried to list the misunderstanding of concepts and proposed a new way of structuring, translating and harmonizing vision of programs, projects and actions, focusing on the vision of the universalization objective strategic in quantitative (accessibility) and qualitative terms (operational and quality). The key performance indicators proposed by the PMSB to systematic evaluation were also compiled, based on its conceptualization and characteristics. The study revealed lack of uniformity in the definition of some indicators, which were not following the r ecommendations of SINISA (Sistema Nacional de Informações de Saneamento). We proposed a reference panel of indicators based on the PMSB analyzed, and complemented with the information available in the SNIS (Sistema Nacional de Informações sobre Saneamento, 2007) and IRAR (Guia de avaliação de desempenho das entidades gestoras de serviços de águas e resíduos, 2005). A doption of indicators to be used specifically for the actions monitoring is suggested. The study revealed that most of PMSB analyzed did not co nducive for the management and monitoring with a view to universalization of water supply and sewerage, as advocated by the Federal Law Nº 11,445/2007. Nonetheless, because revisions in every 4 (four) years are requested, the PMSB must be revised and improved