Less than 60% of Brazilians served by sewers

A total 156.4 million Brazilians living in urban areas had access to the public water supply network in 2014. The number represents 93% of residents in the country's urban regions. As for sanitation, 57.6% were served by the sewers, which s for 96.8 million inhabitants.

Figures can be found in the 20th Diagnosis on the Water and Sewer Services, which refers to 2014. The survey, conducted by the Ministry of Cities and published Tuesday (Feb. 16), gathers information on the water supplies in 5,114 municipalities and the sanitation in 4,030 cities, which represent 98% to 92.5% of the county's urban population, respectively.

In 2014, over 2.5 million residents were included in the water supply system and 3.5 million in sanitation. According to the diagnosis, the country's real investment in water supply services and sewers in 2014 adds up to 3,077 billion, up 16.7% from the year before. The sewers were directly benefited by 46% of the amount invested.

In times of water crisis, the survey found that the average per capita water consumption was 162 liters per day, down 2.6% from 2013. In the Northeast, the average was 118.9 liters, whereas the Southeast reported 187.9.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira