In 2024 the climate issue was an inescapable issue
Other important topics of 2024 were the new Social Tariff, the impact of Tax Reform and the emphasis on sanitation in the G20. IAS promoted the Water and Sanitation Forum and launched four publications.
Published in 18 Dec 2024
Written by By the IAS team
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The reality of climate change was an essential issue for the sanitation sector in 2024.
In a year in which droughts and floods and their impact dominated the news, it was essential to look at issues like adaptation and emergency measures in services such as water supply, drainage and waste management.
From record breaking floods in Rio Grande do Sul to the worst drought Brazil has ever faced, with frequent heatwaves, fires devastating our biomes and smoke polluting the air throughout Brazil.
In December, water was low in five major river basins. Four are tributaries of the Amazon River, and one of the Paraguay River.
These new challenges add to the well-known repertoire of historical shortcomings, including inequality of access to drinking water and the lack of sewage collection and treatment, making already known shortcomings and the guarantee of basic rights even more complex.
Below, we list some of the highlights of 2024.
Five Years of IAS and a New Space for Exchange of Ideas
In 2024, IAS completed five years of activity marked by engagement and close monitoring of public policies, legislative initiatives and changes in the sector, culminating in June in the launching of the Water and Sanitation Forum, a space for ideas and debates bringing together actors from the sanitation sector and other areas. In 2024, we looked at three crucial axes: national policy, municipal elections and the privatization of Sabesp (Water and Sewage Service Provider of the State of São Paulo). A monthly newsletter was started as part of the initiative, and six editions were published in 2024.
Read more here., here. and here..
Latin American and Caribbean Sanitation Authorities
Held on 19 April in Washington D.C. (USA), the Meeting of Finance Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean (RMF) of Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) mainly focused on discussing investments to reduce the region's serious deficits in sanitation. The goal is to raise US$ 372 million over the next five years. Nine finance ministers and six ministers from areas linked to the sector took part in the event, in addition to dozens of representatives from governments and development bodies. Brazil sent Leonardo Picciani, Secretary of Environmental Sanitation, a position linked to the Ministry of Cities, to the event. One of the highlights of the meeting was the robust participation of civil society. The IAS has been a member of the SWA since February 2023..
Sabesp Privatized
In July, the government of the state of São Paulo concluded the sale of its controlling interest in Sabesp to the Equatorial Group. From the 50.3% stake it previously held, the state of São Paulo now holds 18.3% of the company. The 375 municipalities served by the company, including some of the most populous in the state, are part of URAE 1 (Regional Water and Sewage Unit), a configuration that follows one of the regional arrangement models provided for in the Sanitation Legal Framework. As a result, 375 contracts that Sabesp had with each municipality were transformed into a single agreement.
Sanitation in the 2022 Census
Data from the 2022 Census released by IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) in February showed that 75.7% of Brazilians live in households with services considered adequate (sewage via a sewer system or septic tank), compared to 64.5% in the 2010 census. Even so, the data show that 1 in 4 people in Brazil do not have access to adequate sewage. In November, IBGE released a series of data related to favelas and urban communities which showed that 86.4% of households had a water supply and 74.6% of households were connected to the general sewage collection network, a rainwater network, a septic tank or a filter. Segundo o levantamento, 86,4% dos domicílios contavam com abastecimento de água e 74,6% dos domicílios estavam conectados à rede geral de coleta de esgotos, rede pluvial, fossa séptica ou filtro.
The G20 and Sanitation
In July, the strengthening of drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services was listed as a priority in a Call to Action from the G20 Development Ministerial Meeting, held on 22-23 July in Rio de Janeiro. This was the first time in the history of the meetings, whose summit meeting was held in Rio de Janeiro on 18-19 November, that the importance of mobilizing resources to promote universal access to sanitation and drinking water was discussed. In initiatives related to the meeting, such as G20 Social and G20 Favelas, sanitation was also a central topic.
World Toilet Day
On 19 November, the fifth edition of World Toilet Day took place in Brazil. The year's theme, as chosen by UN-Water, was "The toilet: a place of peace," reinforcing how access to safe and adequate toilets and sanitation contributes to a better life. As has been done since 2020, the IAS launched a website dedicated to World Toilet Day, with various data that show the extent of the sanitation deficit in Brazil and its relationship with various areas. In addition to the campaign and materials produced by the IAS, the date was celebrated by various partners, organizations, companies, media outlets and influencers. An important result was the awareness of President Lula, who requested the creation of a federal program to bring toilets to vulnerable populations.
Sanitation Solutions for the New Season
A project that provides showers for homeless people, a collective that promotes awareness in vulnerable communities, and nature-based sanitation solutions for an indigenous village to build toilets for women. These are the initiatives highlighted in the fourth season of the web series “Saneamento Tem Solução” (Sanitation has a Solution), launched on the occasion of World Toilet Day Brazil 2024. The series shows community-scale initiatives that provide dignity and access to human rights to water and sanitation. In total, there are 19 episodes that cover actions throughout Brazil emphasizing innovation and creativity.
COP 29: Water Resources and Climate Change
Among the many agreements signed by several countries during COP 29 is the Declaration on Water for Climate Action.Endorsed by more than 50 countries, including Brazil, the document is part of COP 29's Action Agenda. The signatories of the declaration commit to adopting integrated approaches to combat the causes and impacts of climate change in river basins. The document aims to encourage regional and international cooperation and also advocates the integration of water-related mitigation and adaptation measures into national climate policies, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), which are commitments made by each country under the Paris Agreement.
Tax Reform in Sanitation
In the second half of the year the sector mobilized against the increase in the sanitation tax rate included in the reform text. According to estimates by AESBE (Brazilian Association of State Sanitation Companies) and ABCON (Brazilian Association of Private Concessionary Holders of Public Services in Water and Sanitation), which represent water supply companies in more than 4,000 municipalities and serve more than 136 million people, the tax rate could reach 28%. As an argument against the change, the entities called for sanitation to be equated with the health sector. In September, AESBE and ABCON released the Sanitation is Health Manifesto Letter. The proposal for equating the tax rate was approved by the Senate's Constitution, Justice and Citizenship Committee (CCJ), but was removed from the final text approved by the Chamber of Deputies on 17 December.
The New Social Tariff
The Social Water and Sewerage Tariff came into effect on 11 December. The legislation requires providers to offer discounts of at least 50% on the tariff for at least 20.4 million families registered with CadÚnico (Brazilian Unified Registry). Its implementation will require major adaptations from the sector. There are companies that already offer this discount and regulatory agencies that have already created rules, meaning that the impact of the new law will be limited. On the other hand, there are municipalities where providers are not structured for the change. In addition, the number of people who will be entitled to the social tariff is a significant part of the total population. As a result, an impact on the average tariff is expected.
Transparency in Dam Numbers
In early December, Congress approved a law that included two new articles in the Sanitation Legal Framework (Law 11,445/2007), which requires that reports, studies and decisions containing information on the levels of water reservoirs for public supply and other data related to water security be made public. Law 15,012/2024 amends two of the articles of the Sanitation Legal Framework in Chapter 5, which deal with regulation. It is understood that it will be up to subnational regulatory agencies such as ARSESP (Regulatory Agency for Public Services of the State of São Paulo) and AGENERSA (Regulatory Agency for Energy and Sanitation of the State of Rio de Janeiro), to demand transparency in information or to make the data and reports publicly available.
IAS Publications
In 2024, IAS launched four publications covering different aspects of sanitation.
- Four years after the review of the Sanitation Legal Framework, a detailed reconfiguration of the sector has been observed throughout Brazil, as recorded in our publication “Novo Tabuleiro do Saneamento Básico 2024” (New 2024 Sanitation Chart), launched in June. The sanitation sector is undergoing an expansion of private provision. Currently, 18 states have completed or ongoing processes to transfer sanitation services to the private sector. In 2024, the main event was the privatization of Sabesp, with the signing of a single contract involving 371 municipalities in the state of São Paulo. The company that won the auction was Equatorial.
- In relation to the municipal elections, IAS published “Municípios e Saneamento nas Eleições 2024” (Municipalities and Sanitation in the 2024 Elections), with data on the situation of water, sanitation, garbage collection and drainage and a suggested agenda for campaigns on sanitation and water security. The municipality is responsible for all sanitation in its territory and for tackling climate emergencies.
- In September, IAS published a Technical Note on the importance of ANA (National Water and Sanitation Agency) producing a Reference Standard on Safety, Contingency and Emergency Measures. This demand gains special importance in view of the climate crisis that Brazil is experiencing. The establishment of safety, emergency and contingency measures is included in the revised Sanitation Legal Framework law (Law 11,445/2007), both as an obligation on the part of the holders to guide concession contracts, and through the regulatory sector, which must follow reference standards prepared by ANA.
- Racial inequality in the access to sanitation services in Brazilian schools is the theme of “Água e saneamento nas escolas brasileiras: Indicadores de desigualdade racial a partir do Censo Escolar” (Water and sanitation in Brazilian schools: Indicators of racial inequality in the Scholl Census), a study by IAS and CEDRA (Center for Studies and Data on Racial Inequalities) that shows the contrast in access to drinking water and toilets, among other indicators, in schools with a predominance of black students and schools with mainly white students. The database is from the 2023 Basic Education School Census, carried out by INEP (National Institute for Studies and Research).