Government of Pará delivers largest Sewage Treatment Plant in the history of the state in Belém

The largest Sewage Treatment Plant (ETE) ever built in Pará was officially delivered this Thursday (2) in Belém by Governor Helder Barbalho and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. ETE Una represents a milestone in basic sanitation for the capital and is part of the structural works in preparation for the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 30), which will be held in November this year in the capital of Pará.

With an investment exceeding R$ 134 million, the project will directly benefit more than 90,000 residents from ten neighborhoods in Belém: Marco, São Brás, Sacramenta, Telégrafo, Pedreira, Fátima, Umarizal, Reduto, Nazaré, and Campina. The new station contributes to the universalization of basic sanitation, with a direct impact on public health, the preservation of water resources, and the improvement of the population's quality of life.

“Today is a historic day for sewage treatment in Pará. We are inaugurating the largest treatment station in the history of the state. It covers more than 23,000 square meters and an investment of R$ 134 million, which will allow ten neighborhoods to have sewage treatment. It is about stopping open sewage and starting treatment to take care of the health of the population. Therefore, we take care of people, take care of health, and take care of the environment,” said Governor Helder Barbalho.

Sanitation as a legacy of COP 30

During the delivery ceremony, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva highlighted the importance of the project for COP 30 and for the future of the people of Pará.

“This will be the COP of truth. It is the COP where we will move from theoretical discussion to taking care of planet Earth. And to take care of the planet, we start by taking care of the city that will host the COP. So, we built a partnership with the state of Pará because we want to take care of the people so that when COP is over, the people can enjoy all the benefits of these works,” said the president.

The Minister of Cities, Jader Filho, also reinforced the Federal Government's commitment to sanitation in Belém. “This is yet another partnership of the Federal Government with the Government of the State of Pará on such an important issue as sanitation here in the city of Belém. This is the first phase of the project, which will continue to be built because our goal is to reach a number of 350,000 people served by this treatment station.”

Modern and high-capacity project

Located in an area of more than 23,000 m², ETE Una was designed to treat up to 475 liters of sewage per second, meeting the parameters established by national legislation. The structure contributes to the depollution of the Una watershed, the largest in Belém in terms of resident population, as outlined in the Master Plan for the Sanitation Systems of the Metropolitan Region of Belém.

The works of ETE Una began in 2008 and were resumed in 2019 by the current state administration. Its completion generated more than 1,500 direct and indirect jobs, strengthening the urban infrastructure sector and promoting sustainable development.

Even after the official delivery, the technical teams of the Pará Sanitation Company (Cosanpa) will continue to monitor the operation of the station, according to contractual criteria. The project includes two additional phases, which will allow for an increase in disinfection capacity and enhance the removal of organic load, potentially achieving up to 90% efficiency before the safe return of waste to the environment.

“The Government of Pará has other important sanitation works underway in Belém and other cities. Our goal is to continue contributing with experience in projects involving basic sanitation and the well-being of the population, like this Sewage Treatment Plant, which is already a milestone in the history of sanitation in Pará,” highlighted the president of Cosanpa, Colonel Dilson Junior.

Integrated sanitation works for Belém

ETE Una is part of a broader package of investments in sanitation carried out by the Government of Pará, through Cosanpa and with the support of different state secretariats. Among the ongoing actions are the requalification and macro-drainage of 18 channels, the expansion of the water distribution network, and the implementation of new sewage collection networks, especially in strategic areas such as the surroundings of Ver-o-Peso and Avenida Visconde de Souza Franco.

The works reinforce the State's commitment to sustainable urban development and the construction of a lasting legacy for COP 30, directly benefiting the population and the environment.