The Water Paradox in Brazil OPINION - September 29, 2025

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The Water Paradox in Brazil OPINION

09/29/2025

Brazil is a country rich in water resources—it holds about 12% of the planet's surface freshwater. Yet, approximately 32 million Brazilians lack access to drinking water, while approximately 90 million lack sewage treatment. Services and Information from Brazil+1.

This contrast highlights the great Brazilian paradox: natural abundance on one side, persistent exclusion on the other.

Why does this persist?

The root of the problem lies not in scarcity, but in the lack of priority, infrastructure, and social equity:

● In 2021, 84% of the population had access to drinking water, but only 56% had adequate sanitation. IDB Invest.

● Even with investments, each percentage point of coverage expansion reduces hospitalizations for water-related diseases by 0.35 cases per 10,000 inhabitants and reduces public health spending by 1.5%, a significant impact IDB Invest+1.

The Impact on Health and Education

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) deficiencies continue to cause deaths, contamination, and school dropouts—especially among children:

● In 2019 alone, safe access to WASH could have prevented more than 1 million deaths and 55 million DALYs (Disability-Adjusted Life Years) globally IDB Invest+8Wikipedia+8UNICEF+8.

● In Brazil, hospitalizations for diarrhea and other related diseases account for a significant portion of hospital spending, especially among children under five PMC+2agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br+2.

Some paths already show that progress is possible.

In several communities across the country, simple, contextualized initiatives are already making a difference:

● Low-cost purification technologies, collective systems adapted to local realities, ecological sanitation, and community filters have shown reduced contamination and substantially improved health—when they promote access and are replicable over time.

● These models arise from listening to people, using what is available, and learning from the community—a slow but sustainable process.

Transforming paradox into opportunity

This challenge requires more than technology: it requires consistent public policies, effective regulation, and a genuine commitment from governments and companies. Only then can specific challenges be transformed into movements for structural change.

More than a basic right, clean water is synonymous with health, dignity, and a future. The real obstacle lies not in nature, but in our ability to see existing solutions, scale them, and make them history.

Anna Luisa Beserra

SDG: SDG 6, SDG 3, SDG 10, SDG 11