Private investments can help prevent landslides, says expert

Landslides that result in tragedies such as that of Petrópolis could be avoided if investment in water drainage projects from the rain were greater, and the private sector can help prevent further disasters, according to economist and professor at FGV Gesner Oliveira.

In an interview with CNN this Tuesday (22), he stated that the so-called Sanitation Framework brought more private investment to the area, which includes the drainage segment, but just considering water and sewage, twice as much would be needed to meet current demand.

“In areas where there may be landslides, it is necessary to preserve the vegetation, strict inspection to avoid building where it cannot be built, having a contour line on the hills, mapping flood areas, warning systems”, says Oliveira.

“All these measures require investment. Of the four segments, water, sewage, urban solid waste management and drainage, unfortunately drainage is the one that receives the least investment”.

A survey by the professor points out that 54.7% of the municipalities do not have an exclusive river drainage system, and 62% of the cities do not map risk areas.

“What happens is that these investments require planning, they are infrastructure works that require long-term planning, they cannot be the work of a government with a political and electoral objective. This requires a very large organization, both at the municipal, state and federal levels,” he says.

For Oliveira, “bringing the investment private sector with very well-planned long-term contracts and supervision by regulatory agencies, this segment can improve”.

Check out the full interview in the video above.