ABES’s presence has been constant in decisive and historical moments and events within the country’s environmental and sanitary engineering domain. As a matter of principle, the association is not aligned with any trends, policies, or ideological approaches; rather, it takes part in and upholds a firm stance on issues regarding the sector and its institutions around the country.
The financial engineering and operational conception from Planasa, instituted in 1971, three years after the creation of SFS – Sanitaion Financial System – had been influenced by professional and living experience from ABES founding partners like Enaldo Cravo Peixoto e Rego Monteiro. In its basic conception, Planasa instituted secure sources for sanitation funds. As a regional balance and social justice tool, Planasa has also implemented the cross-subsidiation system.
The strategic tripod leaned on business management, financial sufficiency and long term loans, in order to share with future generations the tax burden as well as the benefits to be conceded.
Together with BNH, ABES has participated in the training of professional staffs that were capable of implementing Planasa.
In 12 years, Planasa has carried water to more than 80 million Brazilians. Another 50 million have received the benefits of the wastewater services. It´s estimated that between 1975 and 1982, Planasa has invested more than six billion dollars in water and wastewater works through the country. Planasa was extinct in 1986.
After Planasa´s extinction, ABES emerged to stimulate the sector and also to make sanitation companies, public or private, municipal or state owned, feasible. For this purpose ABES got intensely involved with all events that were linked to its objectives and the interests of the environmental sanitation sector.
ABES was present in the National Constituent Assembly, which was settled in 1987, concluding its work on October 5th, 1988 which was the date of enactment of the new Constitution.
In 1990 the National Sanitation Secretariat was created and considered to be a reference in sanitation and a link between the investment demand and the financing sources. Its essential goal was to scheme the National Sanitation Plan which would define the policies and guidelines for the sector. However, the intended advance wasn´t met.
The sanitation sector was still searching for its regulatory mark. In 1994, the Federal Government launched a project called: Modernization Project for Sanitation Sector (PMSS), which was conceived by the National Sanitation Secretariat with the cooperation of IPEA/SEPLAN-PR and financed by the World Bank.
It was PMSS merit to bring new ideas for the sanitation sector being them coherent with the political and social environment at the time. Thus, the presence of the Federal Government would be predominantly regulatory.
As an end product, the Federal Government presents the Law Project 199, with the support of ABES, AESBE e ASSEMAE. Such understanding reflected the convergence around politic, administrative and operational principles. For example, the sanitation services titularity, except in metropolitan areas, would be a responsibility of the municipality, as a direct manager or as a granting power.
Municipal administrations, which were aware of how the Constitution would attribute them responsibilities for the sanitation services universalisation, had already admitted the advantages of flexibilization mentioned by PMSS. A range of alternatives on how to act within the sector was being opened to them: Organs of direct municipal administration; municipal autarchies; municipal companies; intermunicipal autarchies; state companies; private companies; cooperative companies and community associations.
PMSS has also reinforced the concept of environmental sanitation. In other words: environmental sanitation involves water, sewage, waste, urban drainage and vector control. Moreover, an expanded concept means integration with co-related activities such as environmental policies, water resources control, health, housing as well as land use and occupation.
The Law Project 199 couldn´t continue to operate but PMSS left a great heritage: the change of focus in inter-sectorial discussions and also a new chapter in the national sanitation policy.
It is worth to remember: From 1988 to 1997, the Central Bank blocked all resources for the sanitation sector. Starting in 1997, Caixa Economica Federal timidly started to release new funding. Only after 2002, still without a definitive regulatory mark, Caixa Econômica Federal restarted to operate the resources of FGTS (Guarantee Fund for Length of Service) with aplomb, after the pressure of entities that were committed to sanitation, in which ABES standed out. At the same time, traditionally away from the sanitation sector, BNDES takes its first steps towards a possible partnership, on the condition that the operating companies would open their social capital. Starting from 2003, the companies that suited to the conditions had the opportunity to contract financing from BNDES.
The National Plan of Basic Sanitation (PLANSAB) is one step ahead of the Law 11.445, from 2007. As always, compromised to sanitation policies, ABES has actively participated in discussions in five regional seminars and two public audiences in Brasília. The same effort would be required for the next step: public consultations.
The Law 11.445/07 reruns concepts that were already incorporated to the political-technical culture, such as: sanitation is a local service; municipalities have constitutional titularity; water is an essential public good. The important part is on modernizing institutional innovation as the ones endorsed by ABES: autonomy for the sanitation services owner to delegate its organization, regulation, supervision and provision; the possibility of regional sanitation public services providing; regulation of services through responsible entities that are defined by the municipalities.
The responsibility of executing the guidelines from the Law 11.445/07 lies with PLANSAB.
As a solidary entity, ABES focuses its technical and disclosure efforts, prioritizing the main goal in the environmental sanitation sector – the universalisation of the attendance to population with urban water, sewage, waste and drainage services.
