51 Million Brazilians Live Without Water, Sewer and Trash Collection

Brazil has around 51 million inhabitants living in dwellings that are considered substandard – without sewer pipes, drinking water, property deeds, and garbage collection. This finding comes from the Global Report on Human Settlements 2005, issued Monday, September 12, by the United Nations.

According to the report, which is based on data from 2001, Brazil trails only China and India in terms of the quantity of people who inhabit this category of dwelling. For the UN expert on human settlements, Erik Vittrup, the two major housing problems that Brazil faces are land without deeds and the lack of private investment in the construction of mass housing.

Vitrupp observed that Brazil is making a worthy effort in the area of housing. He emphasized the creation of the Ministry of Cities, in 2003, and federal expenditures on sanitation and housing.

"I have no doubt that we shall see significant changes in the statistics in the 2008 report, in consequence of the social policies adopted here.

"It is also true that, given the magnitude of the problem in Brazil, the budget is still very small to meet the demands and address the housing problems in the large Brazilian cities," he said.

The UN representative also highlighted two successful experiences in Brazil: the Participatory Budget, developed by the municipal administration of Porto Alegre, for allowing the population to speak up and request more budget funds for housing, and the Shantytown-Neighborhood ("Favela-Bairro"), created by the municipal administration of Rio de Janeiro, for having urbanized various shantytowns in the city.

ABr

Tags:

You May Also Like

A Glimpse on How the Law Works in Brazil

Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in his first public appearance since a ...

Pope talks to a crowd in São Paulo, Brazil

Pope Starts Brazil Trip Condemning Abortion and Euthanasia

In his first speech at the start of his Brazilian trip, Pope Benedict XVI ...

Brazil Passes US$ 256 Billion Budget

Brazil’s National Congress approved December 29 the 2005 Federal Budget, which sets aside resources ...

Brazil Answer to Fastest Growth in 2 Decades: Raising Interest Rates

 The chief of Brazil’s central bank, Henrique Meirelles, said he’s “confident” that Brazilian inflation ...

43 Countries Gather in Brazil to Promote Ecological and Peace Tourism

Between November 29 and December 2, roughly 5,000 people, including entrepreneurs, professionals, scholars, students, ...

Those Who Ordered the Murders in Brazil Must Be Punished, Says Political Scientist

An aggressive campaign against crime, a crackdown on criminals and a program to put ...

Whale Strayed in Brazil’s Amazon Dies Before It Can Be Rescued

A Minke whale that had strayed deep into the Amazon rainforest has been found ...

Communist Aldo Rebelo is Brazil's House speaker

Brazil’s Strange Idea of Democracy

Brazil had a new president for a day on November 13, 2006, a communist ...

Brazil Loosens Its Grip on Airports and Ports Privatizing and Leasing Facilities

The Brazilian government is expecting to raise US$ 1.3 billion with the leasing of ...

Brazil’s Mercedes-Benz Sells Over 1,000 Heavy Trucks in May, a Record

Mercedes-Benz Brazil posted record high sales of heavy trucks in the Brazilian market. In ...