EVALUATION OF THE PROVISION OF WATER AND SEWAGE SERVICES IN SÃO LUÍS – MA

Abstract

Sanitation is a basic right of extreme importance, secured by Brazilian Constitution, that directly affects people's quality of life and the environment. Furthermore, the capital of Maranhão, as well as the rest of the country, presents lack of sanitation services. The main purpose of this essay is to evaluate the provision of services of water supply and sewage of São Luís - MA through the usage of sanitation indicators. To perform this study, some performance indicators were chosen at the database of the National System of Sanitation Information (SNIS) and also some reference parameters (satisfactory or unsatisfactory) with the purpose of facilitating the comprehension about the acquired and analyzed data. In the last evaluated year, the services such as water supply, sewage, total coliforms analysis and expense margin showed satisfactory results, meanwhile the sewage treatment system and water loss at distribution showed unsatisfactory results. Through this study it was possible to identify divergences between the data provided to the SNIS and the real sanitary conditions of the city and it was also brought to light the need of further investments so that the universalization of these services can be attained.