Sustainability Report 2021
SUMMARY
Presentation
Message from
Management
The Águas do
Brasil Group
Integrity and
Transparency
Fostering
Universal Access
to Sanitation
Water Security
and Climate
Change
Efficient
Water
Our Utility
Companies
About this
Report
GRI
Summary
Corporate
Information
Cycle
The Environmental Strategy Project was planned in 2021 and will be
implemented throughout 2022, within the environmental pillar of the
ESG Strategy, with the definition of objectives, targets, and indicators
in line with the company's operations. The project also aims to advance
the value proposition for the relevant environmental issues identified,
engage employees and stakeholders, and implement specific programs.
The elaboration and structuring of the environmental strategic planning
foresee the joint analysis of internal and external gaps concerning the
main environmental issues, as well as the development of specific
programs for each environmental theme considered relevant.
In 2021, the company recorded no significant fines and sanctions
resulting from environmental non-compliance. See Social and
Environmental Actions for more information on impact management.
307-1
Emission Reduction
To reduce air emissions, the Águas do Brasil Group is analyzing
new possibilities for more efficient wastewater treatment. An
example is the implementation of the Maria Paula and Sapê
(Niterói), and Esplanada and Lagoa do Vigário (Campos dos
Goytacazes) wastewater treatment plants. Through hybrid
vertical bioreactor technology, the process consumes the
gases emitted in the treatment, reducing the emission of gases
and odor to the community.
Management of environmental
risks and impacts
*With hazard analysis and risk assess-
ment (HARA) and Emergency Response
Plans, activities are mapped and an-
alyzed to identify possible emergency
scenarios and operational and manage-
ment control measures.
*When identifying the absence of a
control measure or some activity with
insufficient control, adequacy action
plans are established covering all
activities to reduce risks.
*Environmental guidelines are
communicated to all stakeholders and
shared among the utility companies for
knowledge multiplication and process
standardization.
*The same management of control
measures and risk reduction is adopted
in implementing units and new busi-
ness plans. Basic and executive projects
are evaluated, and all control measures
are implemented to minimize risks.
Water and wastewater management
103-2, 103-3 | 303
Water is a fundamental input in the operations of
the Águas do Brasil Group, from its abstraction from
a surface or underground source, treatment for
public distribution, to the collection of wastewater
and release of treated effluent into a receiving water
body. The main positive impact of this use is the
guarantee of basic sanitation for the population, a
right foreseen in the Federal Constitution, providing
the population with water that meets the quality
standards (see Water Quality).
If not properly managed, the negative impacts of
water use can be the reduction of the available
natural resource, the change in water quality
with the release of untreated effluents, and the
quantitative change in water flow with the use
of dams. To eliminate or reduce these impacts,
the company encourages the reduction of water
losses, toning down the demand for treatment (see
Efficient water cycle) and investing in more efficient
wastewater treatment technologies, with solid
monitoring of the quality of the treated effluent.
To this end, in 2021, 16,249 tons of chemicals were
used by the Águas do Brasil Group in water and
wastewater treatment. 103-2, 103-3 | 303
As water is a shared resource, the Group acts
directly in all Watersheds Committees in which
the utility companies have a voice and participates
in the State Council of Water Resources of Rio de
Janeiro (CERHI-RJ).
Sustainability Report 2021
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