Water supply and sanitation in Brazil

Water supply and sanitation in Brazil

Data
Access to an at least basic water source	97% (2015) [1]
Access to at least basic sanitation	86% (2015) [1]
Share of collected wastewater treated	35% (2000) [2]
Average urban water use (L/person/day)	143
Average urban water and sanitation tariff (US$/m3)	0.82 (2006)[3]
Share of household metering	76% [4]
Annual investment in WSS	US$3.4 bn corresponding to US$17/capita (2012)
Financing	51% self-financing by utilities (2004)
Institutions
Decentralization to municipalities	Substantial
National water and sanitation company	None
Water and sanitation regulator	State-level multi-sector
Responsibility for policy setting	Ministry of Cities
No. of urban service providers	26 State Companies, >1500 municipalities for water, >4500 municipalities for sanitation

Access to at least basic water increased from 94% to 97% between 2000 and 2015; an increase in access to at least basic sanitation from 73% to 86% in the same period;^[5]

Brazil has a national system to finance water and sanitation infrastructure; a high level of cost recovery compared to most other developing countries.

A high number of poor Brazilians live in urban slums (favela) and in rural areas without access to piped water or sanitation. Water is scarce in the northeast of Brazil. Water pollution is common, especially in the southeast of the country. Brazil has a low share of collected wastewater that is being treated (35% in 2000), and long-standing tensions between the federal, state and municipal governments about their respective roles in the sector.