Nearly 45% of Brazilians not served by proper sanitation

In Brazil, 45% of the population still have no access to appropriate sanitation services. The figures can be found in a document entitled Sanitation Atlas: Depolluting Drainage Basins, released by the National Water Agency (ANA) and the Ministry of Cities.

The study brings information about sanitation services throughout the country, with a focus on the protection of water resources and its sustainable use for the dilution of waste as well as the improvement of strategies to take these services to all underserved areas.

The National Plan for Basic Sanitation (Plansab) regards as appropriate sanitation the use of septic tanks or a network for the collection and treatment of sewage. According to this criterion, 55% of Brazilians have access to appropriate sanitation.

The survey reports that 43% of the population are covered by a collective system (sewage collection and treatment network and stations), 12% are served with septic tanks (individual solution), 28% by sewage that is collected but not treated, and 27% are unassisted.

Tests were conducted in each one of the country's 5,570 municipalities, with local features and drainage basins taken into . Rural areas were not surveyed by the study.

Investment

Providing all urban households throughout Brazil with sanitation would demand some $48 billion by 2035. Approximately 50% of municipalities, which need conventional sewage treatment services, require 28% of the total estimated value. Seventy of the 100 most populated municipalities require complimentary or t solutions, and add up to 25% of the investment.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira