Reducing water losses would supply 48 million people, study shows

Reducing water losses in Brazil could supply and benefit around 48 million people, according to a study released by Instituto Trata Brasil, in partnership with the consultancy GO Associados.

During the water supply process, losses may occur for various reasons, such as leaks, measurement errors and unauthorized consumption.

This waste has negative impacts on the environment, revenue and production costs of companies, which makes the system as a whole more expensive, ultimately harming customers.

The survey was prepared based on public data from the National Basic Sanitation Information System (Sinisa), based on 2024 and comprises the five regions of the country, in addition to the states and the DF, in addition to the 100 most populous municipalities in the country (including the capitals), which appeared in the 2026 Sanitation Ranking.

In terms of volume saved, the mark would be 2.8 billion m³ per year, enough to supply the population of Canada for a year. The country has 41.4 million inhabitants.

In total, Brazil loses 39.5% of drinking water in distribution systems and aims to reduce losses to 25% by 2033, the limit year determined by the sector's Legal Framework

Sanctioned in 2023, the milestone has already exceeded half the deadline, spreading doubts about the ability to achieve the goals set by 2033.

The New Sanitation Legal Framework stipulated that 99% of the Brazilian population have access to drinking water and 90% to sewage collection and treatment by December 31, 2033.

According to CNN, a survey by Abes (Brazilian Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering) showed that only 94 municipalities are moving towards the universalization of water and sewage services in the country.

Among the capitals, Curitiba (PR) presents the best performance and is the only one with enough points to enter the "towards universalization" category.

In the list of large cities, the best classifications are with Leme (SP), Balneário Camboriú (SC) and Santa Bárbara D'Oeste (SP).

In the North region - the capitals Belém (PA), Macapá (AP), Manaus (AM) and Porto Velho (RO) - recorded poor performance, showing little after the stipulation of the legal framework.

Source: CNN