Municipalities owe Casal R$ 140 million.
Of the 77 municipalities in Alagoas served by the Alagoas Sanitation Company (Casal), 70 are in arrears; the debt reaches a staggering R$ 140 million; the company is trying to collect the debt, but the mayors cite financial difficulties.
Alagoas247 - A large number of municipalities in Alagoas are in debt to the Alagoas Sanitation Company (Casal). Of the 77 municipalities supplied by the company, 70 are in default, a debt that amounts to R$ 140 million.
The information was relayed by the CEO of Casal, Clécio Falcão, during an interview with... Radio Gazeta According to him, the company has been trying to negotiate with public officials to receive the amounts owed, but they cite, among other things, the financial difficulties faced by the municipalities in the state.
“We have a serious problem with the municipalities. This amount owed by the municipalities, if received in a short period of time, would make a big difference for the company. We are trying to negotiate so that we can have a greater capacity for investment, but the municipalities claim financial difficulties,” says the company's CEO.
According to him, the default rate among private consumers has also been growing in recent months. Historically, the percentage of debt among these consumers hovers around 10%, but currently this rate is around 13%. "This default rate among private individuals has been increasing," emphasizes Clécio Falcão.
Fare adjustment
During the interview, Clécio Falcão also took the opportunity to talk about the 12,41% increase in the water tariff, authorized this week by the Alagoas Regulatory Agency for Sanitation Services (Arsal). According to the CEO, the percentage increase requested by the company was 27,68%, but only 15,27% had initially been authorized by the agency. After analyzing all the justifications presented by Casal, the remainder of the increase requested by the Sanitation Company was authorized.
“This tariff increase, which when accumulated reaches 27,68%, was requested in May to take effect in June. Arsal initially approved 15,27% and, from then on, demanded a series of documents, such as Casal's balance sheet for the last three years. Among the justifications we presented were the increase in the payroll of employees and the service contracts that are impacted by the IPCA (Brazilian inflation index). After all the analysis, Arsal concluded that our request was legal and justified,” he explains.
Losses
According to Clécio Falcão, Casal is a company that has been suffering losses for at least the last 30 years. According to the CEO, the company is still paying off debts that accumulated because tariffs did not cover all expenses. One example is the construction of the submarine outfall, for which the company contributed in installments over 36 years, and which is still being paid off by the company today.
"Our administration is very focused on this issue of financial balance. We are trying to reduce expenses and increase revenue," he stated.
sewer system
The CEO of Casal stated that the sewage overflow problems recorded in the capital of Alagoas stem from an obsolete network, which currently has a collector that is over 40 years old.
According to him, the overflows mostly occur in the Pajuçara Basin due to the large volume of construction work in the area. The CEO also says that the problem lies in the stretch between the pumping stations at Praça Lions and Praça 13 de Maio, which carries sewage to the submarine outfall.
“The stretch between these squares has a very old collector, over 40 years old, which already has a lot of silting and can no longer transport all the sewage. The situation worsened as other connections were added to the system and we could no longer handle the drainage. Therefore, we opted to build a new collector,” he stated.
With gazetaweb.com