Overview of Sanitation Services in Brazil

Law 11.445/2007, which sets out the national guidelines for Basic Sanitation, reinforces that the municipality is the holder of sanitation services and that the provision of services may be exercised directly or indirectly by it or delegated to a third party. The data used in this study was obtained from information provided by the state sanitation companies between May 2011 and April 2012, data from the 2008 National Basic Sanitation Survey (PNSB), data from the 2009 National Sanitation Information System (SNIS) and consultations on the websites of the Municipalities and the Official State Gazettes. The results showed that state sanitation companies still predominate as providers of water supply (70%) and sewage (60%) services in municipal urban centers. Municipalities and local authorities account for 19% and 10%, respectively, of water services and 27% and 10% of sewage services. Private companies still have a discreet presence in the sector, but in important municipalities such as Manaus/AM, Campo Grande/MT, Joinvile/SC, Campos dos Goytacazes/RJ, Niterói/RJ and Mauá/SP.