With no possibility of municipalizing water and sewage services in Ouro Preto, in the central region of Minas Gerais, the city hall wants to end the discussions that have lasted for two years and open a new chapter with the company Saneuro. With a renegotiation proposal, the Executive wants a contractual readjustment that provides for the right to the social tariff for 10 thousand families, in addition to the creation of the philanthropic tariff for charitable institutions such as Santa Casa and Lar São Vicente de Paulo.
The choice for renegotiation came after a Working Group concluded that it was not feasible, after discussions at public hearings at the Ouro Preto City Council and at the Legislative Assembly of Minas Gerais, as well as popular demonstrations and even a PCI established in 2021. The Attorney General’s Office of the municipality concluded that there is no legal and financial viability for annulment of the contract with the concessionaire, and therefore a renegotiation of the contract, already in progress, will be necessary.
According to the City Hall, an investment of BRL 300 million would be needed to compensate the company so that it can return to being public and investments in the municipal service, but the municipality does not have enough funds, knowledge and skills to properly manage the Service Municipality of Water and Sewage (Semae).
new rates
According to the City Hall, those who spend less water will save on tariffs. The first consumption range provides, for those who spend up to 10m³, a 28% discount, with a tariff of R$ 65. This reduction will benefit 52% of the population. The second range, for consumption of 15 m³, the value reaches R$ 117 with treated water and sewage collection.
In the proposal, the limit of 5% of calls to beneficiaries of the social tariff was also eliminated. From now on, all people registered in CAD Único will be automatically included in the benefit. The City Hall will promote an active search to register these families. The social rate allows the consumer to pay R$26 for consumption of up to 10m³, a rate much lower than that charged in cities like Ouro Branco, currently worth R$38, and Itabirito at R$47.
According to Saneuro – made up of the shareholders of MIP Engenharia and GS Inima Brasil, controlled by GS E&C, an arm of the fifth largest business conglomerate in South Korea –, it is evaluating all the points of the proposal together with the city hall to sign the amendment in the contract. The company did not say when citizens will be entitled to the new contractual clauses.
Tags: Ouro Preto agreement Saneuro closes remunicipalization chapter Gerais
