Check the AIDIS updated news :
(Click in the titles)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interview with AIDIS' Elected President, Carlos Alberto Rosito
 Carlos Rosito is the new elected president at AIDIS. With vast experience in sanitary and environmental engineering, Rosito is part of important entities and will bring new planning to firm the goals established by the Association. In an interview to Desafio he talks about great directors and environmental specialists, reinforces the importance of technical divisions, national chapters and mentions projects and important realizations for social development. The events and publications are cited for their triumph in bringing the 32 thousand members closer together and emphasizing AIDIS accomplishments for sanitary and environmental engineering. Read the complete interview:
1) As elected president, which are the work objectives and proposals?
The basic challenge will be to establish clear objectives to motivate our teams in the 32 countries in which we act as the current president Adalberto Noyola. The four main targets proposed are:
a) Strategic planning discussion as of 2007, similar to the one conducted between 1986 and 1987 by Julio Burbano, with the support of engineer Horst Ottestetter, Director of the Panamerican Health Organization and which resulted in the Bob Canham Report. Within the main plans for the decade, permanent headquarters were founded in the city of Sao Paulo and the executive board run, since then by Luiz Augusto Lima Pontes with full dedication.
b) AIDIS modernization: mainly concerning internal and external communication and in adequate usage of Internet tools. Regarding internal communication, we have to search for more common knowledge within the community of more than 10 thousand associates in the 3 Americas, optimizing the performance of our technical divisions in a manner that each one acts as a real forum for discussion of the regarded themes aggregating the highly qualified specialists we have on our boards. Regarding external communication we have to reach executive, legislative and judiciary levels as well as trend setters through the midia.
c) Create national basic sanitation and solid residue programs aiming for the universalization of these services by the year 2025, and having as objective the fulfillment of the United Nations goals of the millennium for the sector in the ear 2015. This will imply in a planning and execution of the dimensioning of investment needs in each regarded sector, for each country, region and city to reach 100% of coverage with quality, detailing of corrective measures, of the gains and resources raised throughout the period.
d) A more effective action in the environmental engineering sector when it come to air quality and environmental management, themes that did not brought real concern to our entity at first but that today have great relevance.
2) Has a Brazilian ever been president of AIDIS? What does this represent to the country and the association?
5 Brazilians have had the opportunity to be AIDIS president in its 58 years of existence. They were: Lucas Nogueira Garcez, José Martiniano de Azevedo Netto, José Roberto do Rego Monteiro, Paulo Cezar Pinto e Horst Otterstetter, the first three mentioned have passed away.
Horst was elected as member of AIDIS american chapter however he is Brazilian. He graduated and began his professional career in Sao Paulo. I had the satisfaction of working with such representatives and get to know each ones contribution to basic sanitation within the american continent. This way, I have a very clear conscience of the responsibilities I will carry.
For Brazil, this represents the recognition of the national chapter by ABES (Brazilian association of environmental and sanitary engineering) which makes up 40% of the membership board of the association.
3) Besides the intergration among countries and sharing information, which are the projects and practical actions developed by the association?
The main projects and action smay be grouped into three types:
Os principais projetos e ações podem ser agrupados em 3 tipos:
1) Events: The biannual Interamerican congress is the highest mark of our association activity since AIDIS foundation in 1948. Other inportant events are the regional and thematic congresses which highlight solid residues, air quality and environmental health.
2) Our publications are evolving and we point out DESAFIO, the Interamerican enlace, the Latin American Water magazine, the technical publishings and AIDIS eletronic magazine: Research and development: the most recent electronic vehicle.
3) Partnership with varied national ans international entities related to basic sanitation and environment, some more mature than others such as PHO- Panamerican Health Organization and the WHO- World Health Organization. Partnerships with the AWWA, WEF, IWA, ISO and the World Water counsel are in advanced phases of negociation. We will give special attention to partnership mprovements and relationships especially with ISWA International Solid Waste Association, The Water Dialogue and Cumbre Ibero-Americana.
4) How will the new administration act along with the technical divisions and national sections?
The technical divisions have a fundamental role in the associations development and effective participation of members towards common objectives. AIDIS unites sector professionals which have in common the interest for public health and varied scientific technical context regarding water, sewage, solid residues, urban drainage and environment issues. This way, the technical divisions gather specialists around the challenges each specific sector. My objective is to strengthen three divisions: Solid residues (DIRSA) Environmental health (DICSA) and potable Water (DIAGUA). The strengthening of these divisions will serve as model for the other areas. On the other hand, the national chapters represent the essence of the entity and strategic planning will have as a mission improve the understanding between the association and its chapters to better use our potencial and plans and action coordenation.
5) Which experiences and work models from the association should be highlighted?
It is always dangerous to highlight experiences and models, because of the risk od forgetting a group or wrok developed by our administrators and associates. However, we need to take risks ans point out the Interamerican congresses which put us in an advantageous position, the national Sanitary and environmental engineering congresses, the regional events and the thematic solid residue, environmental health congresses, and the DIAGUA seminar on plans for water security and losses in water supply systems. The Norms division, known as DINOSA, integrates the TC 224 of ISSO and participates in the elaboration of the international norms on public services administration of water and sewage which represents one of the biggest challenges for Brazil and the Latin American Continent.
6) What is the outlook for sanitation in the countries and regions where AIDIS acts?
Just as the social economic situation is unequal in countries of the American continent. Some regions as Chile, Uruguai, Sao Paulo state served by Sabesp have services very similar to those in the developed world. The outskirts of our big latinamerican cities and the poorer regions in some countries, such as the Northeast of Brazil leave a lot to wish for in the collection and treatment of sewage and solid residues. Thus the importance of a large AIDIS movement and of its chapters towards the universalization of these services until the year 2025, as foreseen in the World Water Vision of the United Nations.
7) What is your experience in managing similar associations?
Currently, I participate in the management of some entities of Brazilian classes as the Associação Brasileira da Infra-Estrutura e Indústrias de Base of which I am a member of the strategic committee, the industry federation of the São Paulo state (FIESP) as a member of the Construction industry chain and also of the Brazilian association of equipment industries and materials for sanitation. I should point that all these have great synergy with our actions and objectives and such experience will be extremely advantageous to good practices, specially regarding planning and administration control of our activities.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
AIDIS and CETESB establish a cooperation agreement
Scientific exchange and plans of action will set the
institutions accomplishments
AIDIS and CETESB (Environmental santation technoligy company) have established a cooperation agreement for scientific and technology exchange. The committment was agreeed upon on February 14th when the President of the Paulista Environmental agency, Fernando Rei, recieved the Executive Director of AIDIS,Luiz Augusto de Lima Pontes, along with the institution’s event coordenator Celia Castello and also Pamela Miranda, from the Financial Sector.
Besides the agreement which will bring the two institutions closer in order to exchange experiences within the technical fields, we intend to develop concrete plans of action to reduce problems in public health, sanitation and environment.
CETESB will also support meetings promoted by AIDIS, such as the International Seminar on Validating Environmental analysis laboratories, to be held from August 15th to 17th and other paired incentives for example the technical conference on Neutral carbon, forecast to be held still this year and also a technical conference on Bioremediation.
Still as part of the technical cooperation, links for each institution will be placed on one anothers web sites for the technitians to see and get information on the actions and technicalities elaborated by these institutions.
back to the titles 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
VIII Porto Riquean Sanitation and scientific engineering conference
The Event held at the beginning of March highlighted environmental
plans and sustainable development in the region
San Juan, capital of Porto Rico, was capital also for the VIII Porto Riquean Sanitation and scientific engineering conference held on the 1st and 2nd March with the theme “Innovative focus to solve Porto Rico environmental objectives. The discussion panels and technical conferences approached environmental plans of the state and federal agencies as well as the preservation of natural resources and sustainable development of the country and counted on the participation of different sectors of society: from students and professors to industry professionals in civil constructions, lawyers and engineers.
The event was dedicated to Dr. Santos Rohena Betancourt for his professionalism and career in public services directed to the environment besides scientific contributions and intense participation as member of AIDIS.
Click here to see the presentations
back to the titles
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Management of solid residues
DIRSA is the solid residue technical division of the Interamerican Environmental and sanitary engineering company (AIDIS) which integrates professionals from urban solid residues management. DIRSA is dedicated to the studies, projects evaluation, consultancy to governments and international institutions and enabling the matter.
Currently the division has representatives in 18 countries of the Americas.
Its objectives are: divulge technical information on residues to governmental organs, NGOs, academic institutions, international and private organs, to propose themes that are interesting for research centers and needs of each country, to proportion union within the specialists as well as rise the number of people interested in the theme. This is one of the articles published by Carmen del Pilar Tello Espinoza, Director of AIDIS electronic division. Check other publications and send your comments.
back to the titles
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2008: International Sanitation Year
The United Nations general Assembly declared 2008 the International Sanitation year and proposed that the Economics and social department be the project coordinator to put forward valid proposals and activities at all levels, including raising finances. The states, international and regional organizations will have voluntary contributions and benefiting from the celebration to raise further awareness on the importance of sanitation and promote action also at all levels, taking into account the recommendations made by the United Nations commission on sustainable development.
The celebration dates will be set according to the needs to prepare integrated plans to bring potable water and sanitation services to the population in compliance with the Declaration of the Millennium and the Plan of Practice of the Johannesburg decisions. AIDIS will be one of the organizations to incentive the thematic discussion and the realization of the events to integrate specialists and communities from the entire American continent.
back to the titles
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
AIDIS chapter promotes meeting on Technology Innovations
From April 17th to 19th, AIDIS will promote the 1st meeting on technology innovations in sanitation: sludge and odours, Porto Alegre Brazil. The event will approach the reuse of sludge coming from water and sewage treatment, the practices applied, current legislation and environmental impacts. More information and registrations at http://www.abes-rs.org.br/inov-tec/inov-tec.htm.
back to the titles
>>> click here for more news <<<
|
