Friday 23 March 2012

Brazil is calling you!



Some news about interesting ways how Brazil is coping with water issues - 'Brazilian water'


Sabesp, the water utility in Sao Paulo, is facing growing pains. Charged with delivering water to one of Brazil’s largest cities, its water system leaks 134 gallons each day from each of its connections. Although Sabesp is busy modernizing its infrastructure, it’s also trying a different tactic to change people’s behavior around conserving water: It’s paying them.

By teaming up with Banco Cyan and the beverage company Ambev, Sabesp is crediting every customer that uses less water than average. It treats its water accounts like bank accounts. Banco Cyan checks your history of water consumption over a given period, and calculates an average consumption rate. Whenever your water use falls below average, you earn credits--redeemable for discounts at numerous participating partners including Submarino, Americanas.com, and Blockbuster.

For now, it’s a challenge just to plug all the different kinds of leaks in the system, and Sabesp is looking to Tokyo as an inspiration. In 1945, the Japanese capital was losing 80% of its water supply to leaks after damages caused by World War II. By 2004, its water-loss rate was down to 4.4%. Sabesp figures it can achieve those numbers within a few years, as it tries to water a modern metropolis, with a little help from people looking for discounts.

Smart, smart... Interesting how other countries and coping with the water leaks. I am sure the leaks are in each country, but how everyone is trying to solve the issue?

And finally... Don't forget that Brazil has two very important world events scheduled: the Olympics in 2014, and the World Cup in 2016. New opportunities... here we gooo...


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