Valoração de danos ambientais decorrentes de lançamento de esgoto sem tratamento em manancial hídrico

Abstract

In the view of anthropocentrism, in the name of “development”, man has increasingly exploited natural resources indiscriminately, and nature, in turn, is unable to renew the sources affected by such degradation. Thus, environmental crimes often reach the judiciary, where the legal practitioners need expertise and environmental valuation to support their decisions. There are numerous methods of environmental valuation, some specifically developed and others that can be applied in different situations. This work aims to apply the DEPRN Method in association with the concepts of NBR 14.653 -6/2008 for the specific case of discharge of hospital sewage in natura, into a water body. The adopted methodology was the exploratory qualitative character, where from the records of monitoring of the activity, the necessary data for insertion in the evaluated method were extracted. The result obtained in the environmental damage valuation calculation showed that the application of the evaluated method is feasible and adequate when it comes to carrying out calculations for indemnity purposes, involving cases of discharge of polluting substances/sewage without proper treatment, into water bodies. In the studied case, it was considered a operation period of the hospital, for 78 months, without environmental licensing and without effective operation of a Compact Sewage Treatment Plant - ETEC, using the chosen valuation method, we estimated the value of R$5.956.505.04 (five million, nine hundred and fifty-six thousand, five hundred and five reais) to be paid, as compensation for the environmental damage caused. The amount should be applied in actions to recover the water source, as well as in environmental education, promoting and disseminating the fundamentals about sustainable development in order to preserve the environment for future generations.