Brazil cuts waterworks losses but still not enough - expert

Brazil's revenue losses from water supply and wastewater systems have been cut by 5.6% over the past year, according to the president of local NGO Instituto Trata Brasil (ITB), Edison Carlos.

"According to statistics on national sanitation plan Plansab, which were recently published by the cities ministry, waterworks revenue losses are about 35.5%," Carlos told BNamericas.

Although there has been an improvement, it is very little, he said, explaining that ITB does not have any recent information from the ministry about the physical loss of water in systems.

In March 2013, ITB - with support from the University of São Paulo (USP) - presented a study that disclosed revenue loss of 37.6%. Losses are due to system leaks, illegal connections, among others.

PLANSAB

Involving a total of 508bn reais (US$219bn) in investments, Plansab was officially launched last December.

The plan entails reaching universal potable water supply in urban areas over the next 10 years and 93% sewage collection and treatment service coverage in urban areas in 20 years, as well as resolving solid waste and storm water management issues.

Under the plan, the federal government should be investing 298bn reais over the next 20 years, while the rest will come from other sources.