Public sector planning, especially in developing countries, is both a theoretical and methodological challenge that is particularly important with regard to the field of environmental sanitation. This field is dominated by a technical vision that often ignores the complexity of the real world and the human dimension influenced by its actions, as opposed to a strategic one. This paper discusses the preparation of the Brazilian National Basic Sanitation Plan (Plano Nacional de Saneamento Básico – PLANSAB) with a particular focus on its future scenario construction phase, which was primarily based on Situational Strategic Planning and prospective methods. Three scenarios were developed in a participatory process that consisted of several steps and involved various social actors, including governmental officials and authorities, informed by a team of experts in charge of the whole planning process. During the process, 10 extrinsic and intrinsic factors influencing the sector were considered, which led to the generation of a set of macro directives, strategies and targets for the expansion of access to water supply, sanitation, solid waste management and urban storm water management over the next 20 years. PLANSAB was able to overcome many of the criticisms that are typically raised with regard to traditional planning, although, as with any political process, it will not be immune from inertial factors that may create obstacles during the implementation phase.
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Research Article|
February 12 2014
Scenarios for environmental sanitation in Brazil
Léo Heller;
Léo Heller
*
aDepartment of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil
*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]
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Ludmila Alves Rodrigues;
Ludmila Alves Rodrigues
bNational Water Agency, Brazil
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Rogério Braga Silveira
Rogério Braga Silveira
aDepartment of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Water Policy (2014) 16 (3): 501–519.
Article history
Received:
July 29 2013
Accepted:
December 27 2013
Citation
Léo Heller, Ludmila Alves Rodrigues, Rogério Braga Silveira; Scenarios for environmental sanitation in Brazil. Water Policy 1 June 2014; 16 (3): 501–519. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2014.119
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