First Loan for Pollution Control, Brazil NUMBER 050 ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: APRIL 2006 January 2016 The World Bank Group Archives Exhibit Series contains exhibits originally published on the Archives’ external website beginning in 2002. When the Archives’ website was transferred to a new platform in 2015, it was decided that older exhibits would be converted to pdf format and made available as a series on the World Bank’s external database, Documents & Reports. These exhibits, authored by World Bank archivists, highlight key events, personalities, and publications in the history of the World Bank. They also bring attention to some of the more fascinating archival records contained in the Archives’ holdings. To view current exhibits, visit the Exhibits page on the Archives’ website. First Loan for Pollution Control, Brazil About the Project On May 18, 1971, the World Bank approved its first loan (0758) for pollution control. The loan was approved for the Sao Paulo Water Supply and Pollution Control projects to improve the water supply and sewerage services in and around the city of Sao Paulo. Pollution control had become a Constructions of a reservoir in Sao Paulo, necessity in this large metropolitan 1973 area. In this regard the World Bank developed a long term program aimed at abating the severe pollution of the rivers around Sao Paulo. The pollution resulted from the discharge of largely untreated domestic and industrial waste into the rivers. This project was the first comprehensive action taken by the World Bank to restore the ecological balance in rivers. Purpose of the Project The purpose of the project was to provide two million people with piped water, improve service in the overloaded sections of the pipe networks, and improve sewage collection and disposal. The project involved construction of sewage interceptors, pumping plants and the reconstruction Workmen installing water of a major sewage treatment works. It was hoped lines at Sao Paulo, 1973 that this would clear the rivers of its biochemical pollutants and contribute to the development of higher forms of aquatic plants and fish. Outcomes of the Project By the end of the project, the existing water services of the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo were improved and the number of people served by sewage disposal systems was increased. Although not all of the project's original objectives were met, it became an important step taken by the World Construction of a reservoir in Sao Paulo, 1973 Bank in its effort to abate river pollution around the world.