Niteroi City Hall - Prefeitura Municipal de Niteroi
The Pitch
Niterói City Hall (Prefeitura Municipal de Niteroi) united stakeholders and community members to collectively develop a new sewage system that lowered pollution levels in Guanabara Bay.
The Problem
Guanabara Bay, the second-largest bay off Brazil’s coast, and Jurujuba inlet were contaminated by sewage that flowed into the bay via the sea and rivers. The 16 municipalities along the bay, collectively home to 16 million people, had inadequate sewage collection and treatment systems, which caused this contamination. Niterói was one of the municipalities contributing to pollution.
The Process
- Created Enseada Limpa in 2013 to organize the improvement of Niterói’s sewage management system
- Established partnerships between stakeholders including companies, public authorities, NGOs, communities and a local university
- Held regular stakeholder meetings to form goals for Niterói’s waste management system and share expertise and resources
- Funded the project through stakeholder contributions
- Gave communities a voice by including residents’ associations in meetings
- Developed an app for residents to register and photograph their neighborhood needs
The Impact
- Improved the percentage of safe bathing days in Jurujuba inlet from 23% to 62%
- Effectively cleaned the bay’s water, increasing public access to beaches
- Increased public engagement in solving local problems through community meetings and app development
- Built local capacity to continue improving the sewage system, collaborating with stakeholders and advocating for community needs
