The Bocaina Sustainable and Healthy Territories Observatory (OTSS) will start in November ecologic sanitation actions at the Municipal School Martim de Sá in Praia do Sono community. Based on a partnership started in 2008 among Fiocruz, Funasa and the Forum of Angra dos Reis (RJ), Paraty (RJ) and Ubatuba (SP) Traditional Communities, OTSS is a space for exercising citizenship. Social technologies will be presented and developed in it by community members and researchers from both institutions, for generating innovative and critical knowledge to help, this way, promote the sustainable and health development in the territory of the traditional communities from the Ilha Grande Bay region. The project is developed by the Vice-presidency of Health Environment, Care and Promotion (VPAAPS/Fiocruz) and supported by Fiotec.

Based on diagnosis made in the territory by Fiocruz researchers and the region community members, the need for actions related to ecologic sanitation, differentiated education, agro-ecology and community-based tourism was found. By implementing the ecologic sanitation, the concept of healthy territories is concretized in experiences focusing on reducing iniquities, promoting autonomy and sustainability of traditional communities.

OTSS has talked to the Praia do Sono community, which chosen the construction of Septic Tank + Green Tank (Evapotranspiration tank). The system consists in creating tanks, which, differently from the septic tanks traditionally used, do not contaminate the soil. The ‘Green Tank’ is a sealed/waterproof planted system, where the organic material is anaerobic decomposed, nutrients and water are mineralized and absorbed by the plants’ roots. Nutrients will leave the system and incorporate to the plants biomass and water will be eliminated by evapotranspiration, generating fruits, which can be consumed by the community.

History

The meetings between the Praia do Sono community and government institutions as REJ/INEA and the Local Government of Paraty are being held since July for planning the ecologic sanitation implementation efforts. The Local Government of Paraty is interested in the ecologic sanitation process started by OTSS for implementing the sewage treatment in the school and, later, in the community.

According to Gustavo Machado, sanitary engineer and the ecologic sanitation project coordinator, the OTSS idea is to narrow down this communication between the traditional communities and public bodies and promoting sustainability in those territories. “We are building communication bridges between the civil society, in this case, the traditional communities, and those public institutions as the Local Government of Paraty and INEA”, Mr. Machado explained.

The community member Francisco Xavier, aka Ticote, who is monitoring the whole process of the ecologic sanitation implementation, considers this as an important action for the territory. “The community will gain in environmental sustainability and this may be reflected on the quality of tourism”, Ticote said.