The seventh edition of the Survey of Municipal Information (Munic), which researched, besides the public administration, topics such as environment, transportation and housing, showed that, in 2008, ...

 

 

 

The seventh edition of the Survey of Municipal Information (Munic), which researched, besides the public administration, topics such as environment, transportation and housing, showed that, in 2008, 5,040 Brazilian municipalities (90.6%) reported the frequent and impacting occurrence of some environmental change¹ , and the most reported were: slash and burn, deforestation and  aggradation.  Despite this, only slightly more than 1/3 of the municipalities had specific financial resources to develop activities in the environmental sphere and less than 1 among 5 town halls had an adequate structure to face the problems in this area.

 

In relation to housing, the Munic confirmed that the existence of slums² was higher in the most populated municipalities: when considered the total of 5.564 Brazilian municipalities, approximately 33% declared to have slums; but, considering those from 100 thousand to 500 thousand inhabitants, the percentage reached 84.7% and, in the 37 municipalities with population over 500 thousand inhabitants, all, except Cuiabá (MT), reported the existence of slums.  The percentage of municipalities which reported the existence of slums was higher in the North and Northeast Regions (41%), while the existence of irregular division of lands was more reported in the South (62.4%) and Southeast Regions (59.0%).

In the area of transportation, the survey showed that in more than half of the Brazilian municipalities (52.7%) there was the service of motorcycle-cab.  The subway could be found in only 15 municipalities. In 59.9% of the municipalities existed transportation service by vans; while 16.5% did not have any collective transportation service by bus.

 

As it conducts all the years, the Munic 2008 also researched the overall structure of the municipal administrations and observed that the employed persons in the town halls increased, although in a lower rhythm than in previous years.  Following we may observe the highlights of the survey which, for the first time, released the information surveyed in the same year of reference (2008).

 

 

Among the total of Brazilian municipalities, 5,040 (90.6%) reported the frequent and impacting occurrence of some environmental change³  in the 24 months before the Munic.  On the average, 4.4 environmental problems were reported by municipality, and only seven municipalities reported the simultaneous occurrence of all environmental problems: Bannach (PA), Marabá (PA), Tupiratins (TO), Bela Cruz (CE), Santa Maria da Serra (SP), Novo Machado (RS) and Luiziânia (GO).  On the other hand, 522 municipalities (9.4%) reported that they had not suffered any environmental problem in a frequent and impacting way.  The municipalities without occurrence of environmental impact had a major relative presence among those with smaller population, mainly those with up to 5,000 inhabitants (17.6% of the municipalities in this category).  The Southeast (11.8% of the municipalities) and South (11.6%) recorded the highest percentages of municipalities which reported non-occurrence of frequent environmental impacts.

 

Minas Gerais (99 municipalities), São Paulo (97), Paraná (59) and Rio Grande do Sul (49) were the states with the major number of municipalities which reported non-occurrence of frequent and impacting environmental problems.  Only one municipality with population over 500 thousand inhabitants integrated this group: Porto Alegre (RS).

 

 

Slash and burn, deforestation and aggradation were the most mentioned environmental impacts

 

Slash and burn (3,018, or 54.2% of the municipalities), deforestation (2,976, or 53.5%) and aggradation⁴ of water bodies (2,950, or 53%) were the most mentioned environmental impacts by municipal administrators. The three were the only ones mentioned by more than half of the municipalities and have a strong correlation between them: the aggradation is caused by the denuding of soils, as a consequence, in general, by slash and burn and deforestation.

 

Slash and burn was relatively more mentioned in the North (74.2% of the municipalities) and Central West (62.4%).  Deforestation was also mentioned in a significant way in the North (71% of the municipalities) and in the Northeast (64.8%).  The aggradation of some kind of water body was predominant among the municipalities of the Central West (63.3%) and Southeast (60.2%).

 

The pollution of water was more reported by the municipalities of the most urbanized and economically developed areas: Southeast (43.6% of the municipalities) and South (43.2%).  The scarcity of water was reported by the municipalities of the South (53.5%) and Northeast (52.3%).

 

The soil contamination was mostly reported by the municipalities of the Northeast (27.1%) and South (25.9%), while the air pollution was more reported in the North (36.3% of the municipalities) and in the Central West (29%).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comparing the data of the Munic 2008 with the data collected by the Environment Supplement of the Munic 2002, it can be observed that the incidence of aggradation of water bodies (52.9% and 53.0% of the municipalities, respectively), air pollution (22.0% and 22.2%) and degradation of legally protected areas (20.2% and 21.6%) did not change.  Water pollution (38.1% in 2002 and 41.7% in 2008), and  soil contamination (33.0% and 24.2%) increased and alteration damaging the landscape (35.1% and 17.8%) diminished.
 

 

 

Environmental impacts on life conditions and economy prevailed in the North and Northeast

 

Among the 5,564 Brazilian municipalities, 829 (14.9%) reported the occurrence of an environmental change which affected the life conditions of the population.  This number increased as increased the population groups of the municipalities, reaching 40.5% among those with more than 500 thousand inhabitants.  This type of problem was more common in the North (24.1% of the municipalities) and Northeast (20.3%) and less frequent in the South (9.3%).

 

Amapá (37.5% of the municipalities), Pará (35.7%) and Acre (31.8%) were the states with the major percentages of municipalities which reported the occurrence of environmental changes influencing the life conditions of the population.  On the other hand, Minas Gerais (10%), São Paulo (8.5%) and Rio Grande do Sul (6.5%) brought the lowest percentages.

 

Among the 5,564 Brazilian municipalities in 2008, 1,987 (35.7%) registered the occurrence of at least one environmental impact on primary economic activities.  This percentage was higher in the North (52.6% of the municipalities) and Northeast (43.7%), while the Central West (35.2%), South (31.5%) and Southeast (25.8%) brought results below the national average.

 

The impact on productive activity of major incidence was the reduction of quantity/ diversity or loss of quality of fish (22.1% of the municipalities of the country), followed by the impacts on agriculture (16.8%) and livestock (13.0%).  The North Region recorded the major occurrence of all impacts: fishing (39.1% of the municipalities), agriculture (22.0%) and livestock (21.4%).  In the Southeast Region, the incidence was lower: fishing (14.9%), agriculture (11.7%) and livestock (10.3%).

 

Only 3.4% of the municipalities recorded simultaneously the three environmental impacts on primary economic activities and this situation was more frequent in the North (6.9% of the municipalities), Central West (4.3%) and Northeast (4.1%) and less observed in the South (2.4%) and Southeast (2.1%).

 

 

 

Slightly more than 1/3 of the town halls had own resources for the environment

 

 

Specific resources for the environmental area were fundamental to turn possible any municipal action in this sphere, however slightly less than 1/3 of the town halls (2,079, or 37.4%) had these resources.  This percentage was around 50% in the Central West (57.3%), North (54.1%) and South (49.1%), while the Southeast (37.2%) and Northeast (20.4%) had results below the national average.

 

The use of specific resources for environment increased as increased the size of municipalities:  from 29.6% of the municipalities up to 5,000 inhabitants to 97.3% among those with more than 500 thousand inhabitants.

 

In terms of origin of resources⁵ , public bureaus prevailed as source, in all regions and size of municipalities, with rates always above 85.0%.  The other participations were considerably lower: private (5.9%), public enterprises (5.1%), non-governmental organizations (2.8%), international organizations or institutions (2.3%) and education and research entities (1.3%).

 

 

 

Ecological ICMS⁶ was the second most mentioned source of resources by municipalities

 

 

The majority of town halls with resources for the environment areas from public bureaus received them in the category other resources (53.8%), which were basically by budget appropriation.  Following were the Ecological ICMS, recorded by almost one-third (29.9%) of the Brazilian municipalities and in decreasing order, environment licensing taxes (21.8%), environmental fines (17.2%) and royalties (8.0%).

 

In the Northeast, 78.0% of the public resources for environment came from budget appropriation; in the North, 51.1% came from an Ecological ICMS; in the South, 33.2% referred to licensing taxes and 26.2% to fines; and in the Southeast, 11.1% referred to royalties.  These results were the highest percentages by region.  In the smallest municipalities with up to 5,000 inhabitants the major part of resources originated from the Budget (42.8%), followed by the Ecological ICMS (36.2%) and by the licensing taxes (18.1%).  In the biggest municipalities, with more than 500 thousand inhabitants, the mostly significant sources were fines (71.4%), other sources (65.7%) and licensing taxes (60.0%).

 

Among the total Brazilian municipalities only 22.6% (1,260) had an Environmental Fund, and among these only 36.6% financed activities and projects in the environmental area in the 12 previous months of the Munic survey, and could therefore be considered active funds. In a general way, as the municipalities turned bigger, more environmental funds were found as well as those which were active.  Among the municipalities with more than 500 thousand inhabitants, 94.6% had funds, and 57.1% among them were active.

 

In terms of having an Environmental Fund, stood out the South (41.2%) and Central West (30.5%), and below the average were the Northeast (11.3%), Southeast (19.7%) and North (21.8%). Considering the percentage of Environmental Active Funds, the major percentage continued with the South (41.3%), followed by the North (40.8%), and below the national average, the Southeast (33.4%), and Northeast and Central West, each one with 31.7%.

 

 

 

Less than half of the municipalities (47.6%) had an Environmental Council

 

 

In 2008, 2,650 Brazilian municipalities (47.6%) had an Environmental Municipal Council (CMMA). In 1999, first year in which this information was researched by the Munic, they could be found in 1,177 municipalities⁷ (21.4%).  Despite that the number more than doubled until today, the occurrence of this type of forum continues to be low, comparing to other councils such as Health (98.0% of the municipalities), Social Assistance (93.0%) and Rights of Children and Adolescents (77.0%).

 

The CMMAs were more frequent among the most populated municipalities and in the more economically developed regions, but are increasing numerically with a higher intensity in the smaller municipalities – with population up to 20 thousand inhabitants.  In 1999 they existed in only 16.2% of the municipalities in this population group and in 2008, 38.8% among them reported the existence of CMMA.  The South (61.1% municipalities) and Southeast (58.7%) recorded the major percentages of municipalities with CMMA, while the Northeast recorded the lowest percentage (29.9%), considerably below the North (38.5%) and Central West (50.6%).

 

Rio Grande do Sul (80.2%), Minas Gerais (73.8%) and Rio de Janeiro (69.6%) were the Federative Units with the highest percentages of municipalities with CMMA.  On the other hand, Maranhão (19.8%), Paraíba (12.1%) and Piauí (5.8%) recorded the lowest percentages.  The oldest CMMA of the country is the one of Cubatão (SP), created in 1975.

 

 

Approximately 1/3 of the Environment Municipal Councils of the Southeast were inactive

 

 

Among the 2.650 municipalities which had CMMA, 1,880 (70.9%) reported they conducted at least one meeting in the twelve previous months to the Munic 2008 – which means they were active.

 

The active CMMA were more frequent among the greater municipalities, especially in those with more than 500 thousand inhabitants.  Among the 34 municipalities in this group which had CMMA, 31 (91.2%) reported there was a meeting in the specified period.  The South Region had the major proportion of municipalities with active councils (75.1%), followed by the North (74%). The other regions had similar percentages: Central West (70.3%), Northeast (70.1%) and Southeast (67.9%).

 

Another way to study the CMMA was to observe if they had simultaneously consultive, deliberative, normative and inspective characteristic, parity composition (same proportion of government and society) and met in the last 12 months, meaning that the councils which had the best competence, had a democratic profile and were active.  Only 11.6% of the CMMA of the country had all these characteristics together.  The North (15%) and Northeast (14.5%) had the major proportions.

 

 

Almost 80% of the municipalities had some bureau dedicated to environment

 

 

It is high the percentage (77.8%, 4,327) of municipalities in the country with some type of structure covering the environmental area, which means: an exclusive municipal secretary or covering also other topics; or a department, assistance personnel, a sector or bureau covering environment.  It may be observed a high environment structure in the North (89.3%), South (86.4%) and Central West (85.4%).  With high percentages, but below the national average, were the Northeast (73.9%) and Southeast (70.6%).

 

As bigger the municipality in terms of population, the probability of finding an environmental structure was higher. Its incidence increased from 66.9% in the municipalities with up to 5,000 inhabitants to 97.3% in those with more than 500 thousand inhabitants.  The distribution by type of environmental structure showed that prevailed a municipal secretary together with other topics (54.8%), followed by a department, assistance personnel, sector or bureau (28.9%), and in last place exclusive secretary (16.3%), which prevailed in the municipalities with more than 500 thousand inhabitants (61.1% had exclusive secretary). There were few municipal servants in the environmental area: only 0.8% of the total personnel.

 

 

 

Less than 20% of the municipalities had an appropriate structure to face environmental problems

 

 

For a town hall to face adequately the environmental problems, it was fundamental that it had some type of environmental structure, resources and a forum where the public power and the society could meet, discuss and deliberate about environmental policies.  In terms of the variables researched by the Munic, it meant that the municipality had, simultaneously, an environmental secretary or department assistance personnel, sector or bureau; specific resources for the area; and active environmental councils.  Only 18.7% of the Brazilian municipalities had simultaneously these three variables. 

 

The Northeast (9.0%) was considerably below the national average, the North (17.6%) and Southeast (20.6%) were close to this average, and the highest percentages were the ones from the Central West (26.4%) and South (28.0%).  The percentage of municipalities which had simultaneously the three variables increased together with the size of the population classes.  Among those with up to 5,000 inhabitants, the participation was of 10.9% and in the municipalities with more than 500,000 inhabitants it reached 78.4%.

 

 

 

Incidence of slums was higher in the most populated municipalities

 

 

One-third of the 5,564 Brazilian municipalities reported the occurrence of slums, huts or similar housings in its territory, according to the Munic 2008.  The North and South (41.0%) recorded the highest occurrences of slums, followed by the Northeast (32.7%), Southeast (29.7%) and Central West (19.5%).  The Munic confirmed the incidence of slums was higher in the municipalities in which the population was bigger.  The percentage of municipalities which related they had slums ranged from 27.7%, in those with up to 50 thousand inhabitants, to 70.8% among the 319 which had between 50 thousand and 100 thousand inhabitants, reaching 84.7% of the 229 municipalities with 100 to 500 thousand inhabitants.  Among the 37 municipalities with population above 500 thousand inhabitants, only Cuiabá reported the inexistence of slums.

 

The clandestine or irregular division of lands was observed in more than half of the municipalities (53.2%), while 25.1% reported the existence of room houses.  The problem of irregular division of lands could be more observed in the South (62.4%) and Southeast (59.0%), followed by the North (57.9%), Central West (47.9%) and Northeast (41.9%).

 

The Munic also observed that more than 80.0% of the municipalities of the country had in 2008, register of families interested in housing programs.  This percentage has been growing in all the Brazilian regions since the survey began this type of research, in 2001.  In that occasion, the percentage of municipalities which declared to have a register of this demand was 56.2%.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Southeast had the lowest percentage of municipalities which developed activities in the sector of housing

 

 

The Munic showed that 80.2% of the Brazilian town halls reported they had developed, in the last two years, some type of activity or program in the sector of housing.  These proportions changed when they were examined regionally: in the Northeast and Central West, in 2008, the highest proportions of municipalities with housing programs were found (85.9% and 90.8% respectively). It was relatively low the percentage (70.6%) found in the group of municipalities of the Southeast, inclusive representing decrease in this percentage, which in 2004 was 77%.  In the analysis by population groups, it may be confirmed the trend previously detected, that housing programs and activities appear in higher proportions in the most populated municipalities.  All the 37 municipalities with more than 500,000 inhabitants developed some kind of housing program in the surveyed years.

 

In the states, the proportion of municipalities with programs and activities in housing ranged considerably, from Amapá, with the lowest percentage (only 37.5%), to Tocantins, with the highest percentage (97.8%).  In 2005, the lowest percentage came from Rondônia (only 42.3% of its municipalities with activities in the sector of housing), and the highest came from Sergipe (85.3%).

 

The survey verified that, in the country, the initiative implanted by the highest proportion of municipalities (among those which declared to have some program) was the construction of housing units, registered by 75.7%.  This percentage increased together with the population of the municipality, reaching the totality in the population group above 500 thousand inhabitants. In second place, the improvement of housing units was recorded by 58.0% of the municipalities which took initiatives; and, in third, the supply of construction material, recorded by 44.5%.  Municipalities with population over 100 thousand inhabitants implemented, in high proportions, programs of rural area regulation and urbanization of settlements. These governmental programs were developed in a low proportion by the municipalities with population up to 50,000 inhabitants.

 

 

 

Rio de Janeiro was the state with the major percentage of municipalities with bus services

 

 

In 1,674 municipalities (30%) existed collective transportation service by municipal bus, which could be observed in all the municipalities with more than 500 thousand inhabitants and in 217 (94.9%) of those with population ranging from 100 thousand to 500 thousand inhabitants.  In all the classes of population size, the administration of service was, in its majority, conducted by the own municipality, through concession.  The survey verified that 4,547 municipalities had this service, and in 2,563 it provided, also the displacements made inside the same municipality.

 

The Munic verified that only 1.8% of the Brazilian municipalities had collective transportation by municipal bus exclusively; 28.3% had transportation service by municipal and inter-municipal bus; 27.0% had collective transportation by inter-municipal bus, without providing inner displacements; 26.4% of the municipalities had inter-municipal transportation service which provided also displacements inside the municipality; and 16.5% of the Brazilian municipalities did not had any type of service of collective transportation by bus.

 

The municipalities with collective transportation service by municipal and inter-municipal bus were in major proportion in the states of Rio de Janeiro (85.9%), Pará (46.9%), São Paulo (43.7%) and Espírito Santo (42.3%).  The major proportion of transportation service exclusively inter-municipal was recorded in the states of Tocantins (62.6%), Ceará (44.0%) and Paraíba (54.3%).  The transportation by inter-municipal bus, which also provided this service to neighborhoods, districts and areas inside the own municipality, had the major proportion in the states of Roraima (53.3%), Amapá (62.5%), Piauí (73.1%) and Sergipe (78.7%).

 

 

 

Decreased the percentage of municipalities which provided collective transportation by train

 

 

Considering other transportation means in the municipalities, it could be observed, in the period 2005 to 2008, a growth in the percentage of municipalities which had ship transportation (from 9.0% to 10.5%), subway (from 0.2% to 0.3%), motorcycle-cab (from 52.3% to 59.9%), cab (from 76.7% to 81.5%) and van (from 52.3% to 59.9%).  The collective transportation by train decreased from 1.9% to 1.5% of the municipalities. With major relevance in the North Region, water transportation was recorded by 48.6% of the municipalities.

 

In the case of the subway, this transportation service was observed in 15 municipalities (all with more than 50 thousand inhabitants), and the major percentage occurred in those with more than 500 thousand inhabitants (29.7%).  In the municipalities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Federal District, the subway was mainly underground and in the other municipalities only in the surface.

 

In 52.7% of the municipalities there was a transportation service by motorcycle cab. A major occurrence of this service was recorded by the municipalities with population from 50 to 100 thousand inhabitants (69.0%).  In the municipalities with population from 20 thousand to 50 thousand inhabitants, this proportion was 64.3%.  In the North, 75.9% of the municipalities had this service, and the major proportion reached 88.2%, in the Northeast Region.  This service was mainly, informal, although 34.5% of the municipalities reported they administered it.

 

It was verified in 2008 that 81.5% of the Brazilian municipalities had cab transportation, a percentage higher than the one of 2005 (76.7%).  The percentage of municipalities which had this transportation service increased with the population, reaching 100% in those with more than 500 thousand inhabitants.  In the Southeast and South, 93.3% of the municipalities had this service.

 

Although that in the municipalities with more than 500 thousand inhabitants there was a low growth in the percentage of those who used train transportation, in relation to 2005, in the other population areas, there was decrease.

 

Transportation service by vans was recorded by 59.9% of the municipalities, and in those with population from 20 thousand to 50 thousand inhabitants, this percentage reached 74.4%.  In the Northeast, 86.6% reported they had this service, which was mainly informal.

 

 

 

Employed personnel in the municipal administration increased, but in a lower rhythm

 

 

The total number of employed persons in the direct and indirect Brazilian municipal administration (companies and foundations) in 2008 increased by 2.1% in relation to 2006 totaling 5,182,604 persons.  The increase was lower to the one recorded in the periods 2004/2005 (5.4%) and 2005/2006 (6.5%).  The total employed persons in the municipal administration corresponded to 2.7% of the Brazilian population and 5.2% of the economically active population (PEA).  The relation between employed persons in the municipal administration and population by regions ranged from 3.3% (Central West) to 2.4%, in the South and Southeast.

 

The occupation in the direct municipal administration increased by 4.6% between 2006 and 2008 (5,015,729 persons), less than from 2004 to 2005 (5.0%) and from 2005 to 2006 (6.7%).  The Southeast and Northeast were responsible, respectively for 35.8% and 33.4% of the total employed persons in the direct municipal administration; while the South, Central West and North answered for less than 1/3 of the total employed persons in the central municipal administration – respectively, 13%, 8.7% and 9%.

 

The Munic showed that, while the participation of persons under statutory regime (public servants whose employment is governed by the public sector labor code) fell from 64.0% of the total persons of the direct Brazilian municipal administration in 2005 to approximately 61.0% in 2006, in 2008, this relation changed to 64.7%.  On the other hand, the participation of persons without a permanent contract – which had changed from 9.4%, in 2004, to 16.1%, in 2005 and 19.2%, in 2006 – fell to 15.4%.  The celetistas (public servants whose employment is governed by the private sector labor code- CLT) and commissioned persons continued with numbers almost constant between 2006 and 2008.

 

The participation of the Northeast in the total persons without a permanent contract changed from 41.5%, in 2004, to 44.2%, in 2005, 44.9%, in 2006, 49.6%, in 2008.  On the other hand, the participation of the Northeast in the total number of celetistas changed from 30.0%, in 2004, to 24.1%, in 2005, 22.2%, in 2006 and 19.6%, in 2008.

 

The participations of the Central West, South and Southeast in the total persons without a permanent contract fell, respectively, from 7.8% to 6.7%, from 8.2% to 4.8%, and from 26.3% to 24.3%, between 2006 and 2008. 

 

Regarding the celetistas, the participation was almost constant, in all the regions. 

 

In 2008, the Southeast answered for approximately 60% of the total persons hired under the CLT regime.

 

In 2008, while in the South and Central West the persons under statutory regime represented, respectively, 75.1% and 72.3% of the total persons of the central municipal administration; in the North and Northeast, this percentage reached 61%  In the Southeast, the participation of statutory workers among the total was considerably close to the one of Brazil (63.7%).

 

While in the South, Southeast and Central West, the participation of persons without a permanent contract in the total persons of the direct administration was respectively, 5.7%, 10.4% and 11.8%; in the North and Northeast, although decreasingly, it was 24.8% and 22.9%, respectively.

 

The percentage of servants hired under the CLT regime was more significant in the Southeast (18%).  In the Central West and North this percentage was only 3.7% and 5.7%, respectively; and in the Northeast and South, it was of 6.4% and 10.9%, respectively.

 

The participation of commissioned workers in the total persons of the direct administration was 7.8% in the Southeast; approximately 8.5% in the North and South; 9.9% in the Northeast; and 12.1% in the Central West.

 

 

 

 

NOTES

1 - The survey allowed the identification of one or more occurrence of environmental problems.

2 - The question 15 of the group housing of the questionnaire of the Munic is if there were slums, huts, or similar housings in the municipality.

3 - The survey allowed the identification of one or more occurrences of environmental problems.

4 - It is the obstruction of a water body (bay, lagoon, river etc.) through the accumulation of mineral (sand, clay, etc.) or organic (mud) substances, reducing the depth and the speed of its current.  As a consequence, the traffic of vessels may have trouble, the fishing activity may be reduced and the effects of floods may worsen. 

5 - The variable accepted multiple answers.

6 - The Ecological ICMS (Value-added tax on sales and services) was an instrument, created by the article 158 of the Federal Constitution, which allowed the state governments to establish environmental criteria to use up to 25% of the transfers owed to the municipalities.  It was established in order to compensate financially the municipalities which followed the environmental preservation parameters defined by the state (especially the creation/ maintenance of Nature Conservation Units) they belonged.

7 - In 1999 there were 5,506 municipalities in Brazil; in 2001 and until 2004, 5,560.  Since 2005, the country has 5,564 municipalities.