Sanepar, the public entity tasked with managing water and sewage services in Paraná, Brazil, has chosen five startups to collaborate in pioneering solutions for its operational advancements, according to press statement released by the utility.
The initiatives, carefully chosen through an open public selection process, will bolster Sanepar's efforts across asset management, water loss mitigation, consumption monitoring, customer engagement, and environmentally sustainable sewage treatment.
The startups will receive financial resources, mentoring, technical support and access to infrastructure to develop their projects, according to Sanepar. The total investment in this second call for proposals is R$750,000 (US$150,000).
Sanepar's partners in the programme are the Itaipu Brasil Technology Park (PTI-BR); Finep - Innovation and Research, a company under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI); the Paraná Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae/PR) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Selected programmes
SANAPP presented a project for the intelligent management of sanitation assets. The platform aims to combine methodology and data modelling with technical records, field surveys and management tools.
ETSYS Indústria e Tecnologia em Sistemas Ltda. is proposing the development of consumption monitoring software that uses Artificial Vision, replacing readings currently carried out by outsourced teams and increasing reading frequencies to understand consumption profiles in real time.
AFFG Soluções Tecnológicas Ltda is developing the galax.ia platform with monitoring, control and action technologies linked to Artificial Intelligence algorithms that trace patterns between the data collected in water collection, treatment and distribution.
Eisenia Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente offers sustainable sanitary sewage treatment with Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). With the use of earthworms, the sludge retained in the system will continuously be transformed into natural compost, be stabilised and then be applied to the soil as fertiliser.
Peoplexperience Information Technology will enable the mapping of customer profiles, making it possible to create relationship improvement strategies that generate more results in the company/customer relationship.
According to BNAmericas, for many years, water utilities in Brazil primarily concentrated on delivering water and sewage services without stringent targets to meet. Nevertheless, this landscape underwent a profound shift with the enactment of a new regulatory framework for the sector in mid-2020. The legislation mandates that all municipalities achieve universal water and sewerage coverage by 2033 or face the potential loss of federal funding.
