Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Zoo Saves Water

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 23 2009 (IPS) - The São Paulo Zoo is saving 1.3 million liters of water per month since it started following the Rational Water Use Program (PURA, for its Portuguese acronym). Since December, the zoo has renovated its sewage system and automatic shut-off equipment, in addition to other measures.

“The zoo sets an example for the quantity of water saved and also for its implementation of sewage treatment,” praised Ronaldo Gonçalves, a PURA spokesperson.

It is a campaign of the State of São Paulo's sanitation enterprise to prevent water wastage, primarily in the metropolitan region where water sources are lacking.

The zoo is saving the equivalent of the water consumed monthly by 200 people in São Paulo, where individual use is twice that recommended by the United Nations.