The number of slums in Brazil has raised 150% along a short space of time - between 1999 and 2001, told Olivio Dutra, the Minister of Cities, at the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Commission meeting. According to him, the situation is very critical and, unfortunately, it is very far from a solution. The growth of the slums confirms the accelerated tendency of the indignity conditions of home for the population that emigrates from the periphery to the urban cities. But the minister considers the amount of government projects to increase those people’ lives in the metropolitan regions, where there are 80% of the slums of Brazil.
The Urban Chaos
At Rio and São Paulo, 50% of the population lives illegally and a quarter of the population from the metropolitan regions of Brazil lives in slums. The assistant of the Ministry of Cities, Hermínia Maricato, also believes that this situation is very hard to hold.
-We can’t solve the slum’ problem at Brazil with an emergency plan. The social inequality is urban.
The crescent “slum progress” at the Brazilian cities is a result of years of imprudence from the State with the urban question. According to the assistant, it is well known that the violence reduces when the government urbanizes the areas, installing electric light, investing in the development.
One of the habitants of Parque Royal, in Rio, where the government distributed properties for 1.586 families, told the assistant that the traffic had been “pushed away” due to the better life conditions. The same program is being started at Rocinha, but the process is slow.
The Rocinha conflict may recur
Hermínia also told that during the many conferences she presents at the Brazilian cities, she is alerting to the probability of other conflicts (like the one at Rocinha) to occur in many places if the government does not understand the necessity of public politics to reduce the habitation deficit.
- In Rio there is a big urban program, but after it, the City Government must be there, promoting social programs.
In spite of the problematic board, the Minister commemorates some conquests, such the creation of the Social Development Fund, with R$ 500 million, and the launching of the Special Program for Popular Habitation, where the poorest families are able to get a tax-free financing of R$20 thousands. Also, there was a big increasing of the sanitation of the cities.
- If we invest R$13 billion in the next 20 years we will be able to universalize the access to a residence. – says the Minister, affirming that last year the government invested R$5 billion.
The minister and his assistant, as well as the Minister of Environment, Marina Silva, stayed for two days in New York to participate with representatives of other 54 countries in discussions about sanitation, urban development and water, this year’s theme of the 12th Sustainable Development Commission meeting.
The two ministers also met the United Nations general-secretary, Kofi Annan.
