GEO Brasil - UNEP

the state of urban and industrial areas
the state of the environment in Brazil
44 Economic Development
In addition to pressures on the environment caused by the
lack of sanitation, transportation and housing, another
important source of pressure is the pollution caused by the
development of economic activities, particularly those of
industrial origin The (i) emissions of organic material,
nutrients and heavy metals into rivers, bays and beaches;
(ii) the emissions of particulate materials and gases into
the atmosphere; (iii) the inadequate management of solid
residues, mainly the dangerous ones and (iv) the power
production and consumption pollute and contaminate
surface water and groundwater, the air and the soil, harming
the urban environmental quality Such harm affects the
population’s health and is a negative interference in the
economic activities performance itself, as they:
system Despite the extent of the problems caused, there
are no information systematically gathered that allows the
quantification and measurement of the scope of such
impacts
The productive activities also generate an intense move in
the transportation of toxic cargoes affecting the urban
environment directly or indirectly For example, in 1996, out
of a total of 12 thousand million tonnes of transported
cargo in Brazil, only 15 percent used river navigation These
trips, made via sea, road or railway, are sources of pressure,
particularly on water resources, because of their potential
risk of accidents in several circumstances However, their
quantification is not a systematic task carried out by the
official administration yet (MMA 2000 A)
raise recovery costs of basic resources such as water
and soil;
limit the attraction and use of natural assets for tourism
and entertainment;
cause the imbalance of aquatic populations,
particularly in coastal regions, reducing fishery
exploitation, as well as the alternative represented by
aquacultivation
1145 Pollutant Dumping into Water Resources
Chart 1 presents a summary of the main pollutants and
some relevant information on them From the cost point of
view, sewage BOD and phosphorus control is the most
expensive, followed by heavy metals and industry BOD
1146 Emission of Pollutants into the Atmosphere
However, although these problems are present in major
urban areas in Brazil, they have different intensities in each
place
Among economic activities at intra-urban level, mineral
extraction is highlighted, specially clay carving, stones and
sand extraction Such activities cause environment
degradation by altering topography, removing vegetal cover
and causing soil erosion and sanding-up of the drainage
In Brazil, the most serious atmosphere pollution problem
noted in large cities is the emission of particulate materials,
caused mainly by motorised vehicles (with diesel and
gasoline engines) and industries
The characteristics of the activities and primary sources of
pollution are also important to establish the control
strategies to be adopted In general, fixed sources are easier
to regulate than the disperse ones In urban areas the
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