Sabesp, the state-owned water and waste management company, has launched a new initiative to provide sanitation to rural areas. The Brotar Program is a large-scale census that will survey more than 820,000 households in the 371 municipalities where the company operates.
The programme, which will be carried out by 20 regional teams, marks a significant change for Sabesp. The company was previously unable to operate in rural and informal areas due to contractual limitations before its recent privatisation. The new scope allows Sabesp to create a new infrastructure for bringing clean water and sewage collection to these regions.
The census, which will run until July 2026, will collect data via a digital app to identify the specific needs of each area. The information will be used to create “tailor-made solutions” to direct investments and construction work.
Samanta Souza, Sabesp’s director of institutional relations and sustainability, said: “The census is essential to help us identify the needs of the rural population and thus plan solutions appropriate to each region. One of the challenges of the initiative is to present how water and sewage systems can bring direct and indirect benefits to the community, including fewer diseases, more quality of life and well-being, with the improvements that the arrival of sanitation brings, with a direct impact on quality of life.”
The expected benefits of the programme include an expansion of access to drinking water, a reduction in waterborne diseases, and an increase in the value of rural properties. It will also help support the planning of public policy and strengthen sustainable development and family farming.
“In rural areas, the great concern is the quality of the water that reaches the houses, and a good portion of these homes already has some solution to receive water at home. Sewage collection and treatment require a breakdown of the benefits to the collective and the environment,” Souza added.
