Sabesp launches water loss project pre-qual

Brazil's Sao Paulo state water utility Sabesp is accepting pre-qualification documents through May 15 from companies interested in a water loss control project that falls under the US$400mn Tiete II river cleanup program, Sabesp announced. The one-year contract entails providing specialized technical services for the development of a pilot project to assess the efficiency and economic feasibility of water-loss control efforts. The Inter-American Development Bank, Sabesp and Brazil's national development bank BNDES are financing the cleanup project, which the state government expects to complete in 2005. The second phase - begun in 2000 - will have implemented 1,200km of sewage collection network, 290,000 residential connections, 107km of sewage collection mains and 33km of interceptors by 2005. Sewage collection will increase in Sao Paulo's metropolitan region to 81% from 78% and treatment to 68% from 63%.