Basic Sanitation and Health - Challenges and Perspectives in Brazil and Brazilian Federal District

Abstract

Basic sanitation has been considered an important environmental determinant of health. Mainly related to the services of drinking water availability, solid waste management, sanitation problems are aggravated by the unplanned growth of urban centers, affecting an important part of the total disease burden in the world. The Sanitation Ranking prepared by the Trata Brazil Institute (2020) was used as the basis for the studies presented here taking into account the data from the SNIS (National Sanitation Information System – Ministry of Regional Development, Brazil), which were consulted for the 100 largest Brazilian municipalities, in terms of inhabitants, in the year 2018. 27 out of the 100 largest municipalities in Brazil have 100% total water service, that is, they have universal water service. Only one municipality has 100% sewage collection (Piracicaba –SP). 14 municipalities have a sewage collection rate greater than or equal to 98%. The average indicator of sewage treatment in the municipalities is 56.07%, that is very worrying. According to SNIS 2018, the national average for the treatment of generated sewage is 46.3%; that is, the average of the 100 largest municipalities in the study is higher than the national average. However, in both cases, the indicator is at a very low level, pointing to an area whose challenges to be overcome are great. The Brazilian capital’ city (Brasilia, Federal District of Brazil) in the sanitation is ranked 27th among Brazilian capitals based on data from the National Sanitation Information System (2018). The new Basic Sanitation Legal Framework, signed on July 15, 2020 has as its main objective to universalize and qualify the provision of services in the sector. The Federal Government’s goal is to achieve universal access by 2033, ensuring that 99% of the Brazilian population has access to drinking water and 90% to sewage collection and treatment. The expectation is that the universalization of water and sewage services will reduce annual health costs by up to 290 million USD.