November 19th goes unnoticed for most people, but for others it is a painful reminder of an everyday reality.
It is not surprising that millions of people live with the lack of something as essential as a , even today, in Brazilian rural areas. Whether called a toilet, a house, a hole or any other name, the practice of defecating in the open or in unacceptable conditions is a situation that exposes structural inequalities, historical negligence and a lack of political commitment to human dignity and basic rights. of the most vulnerable population.
November 19th goes unnoticed for most people, but for others, it is a painful reminder of an everyday reality. International Toilet Day, recognized by since 2013, does not celebrate an achievement, but denounces an absence. He reminds us that, in our world, despite all the science and technology that exists, there are still 3.6 billion people without access to adequate (Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2017: Special focus on inequalities). In Brazil, a country of eternal profound contrasts, this reality takes on cruel contours in invisible communities, those that, despite existing and contributing to society, remain excluded from public policies, basic rights and formal recognition. These communities suffer from the absence of official data, stigmatization, structural neglect and lack of political representation, perpetuating cycles of poverty and exclusion. It’s as if they didn’t exist for governments.
The TETO Brasil report, in partnership with Insper and Diagonal, offers a look at nine of these communities in the State of São Paulo: Verdinhas, Fazendinha, Porto de Areia, Benfica-Machado, Pedra Branca, Boca do Sapo, Comunidade da Paz , Cappadocia and Tekoa Pyau. These areas face critical sanitation conditions, revealing not only structural precariousness, but the historical neglect that excludes them from public policies. In Boca do Sapo, the absence of basic infrastructure forces residents to live with open ditches as the only alternative for waste disposal. In Cappadocia, rudimentary septic tanks often overflow, contaminating the soil and exposing the community to serious diseases, highlighting that the exclusion of these communities is not casual, but systematic (TETO, 2023).
In Tekoa Pyau, a Guarani indigenous village, TETO supported the implementation of innovative solutions for the site by building bathrooms with biodigestion systems that, by generating biogas, are used in food preparation. The organization also financed four vermi-purification points, a biological technology based on traditional practices from Tekoa Pindo Mirim, where earthworms are used to purify water from domestic sewage. These initiatives not only improve access to sanitation, but also incorporate environmentally sustainable practices and respect local culture (TETO, 2023). In other words, basic and cheap solutions exist. What is missing then: the willingness of those in government to resolve the issue with the communities involved. Research institutions and associations have been developing serious work for decades.
The numbers reveal the severity of the problem. According to , 24.3% of the Brazilian population — or 49 million people — uses precarious sewage methods, such as rudimentary septic tanks or dumping waste into rivers and streams. Furthermore, 0.6% of the population (1.2 million Brazilians) lives without any type of bathroom or toilet. In Verdinhas, 19% of families reported recurring episodes of diarrhea, while in Fazendinha and Porto de Areia, 14% and 10% of residents, respectively, do not have access to drinking water. Inadequate infrastructure is also visible in Benfica-Machado, where 72% of houses have infiltrations and humidity, worsening health risks (TETO, 2023; Census 2022).
In addition to the consequences for public health, the lack of sanitation has devastating social and economic impacts. Women and girls face disproportionate risks. The report points out that in areas like Boca do Sapo, the search for privacy can result in situations of harassment or violence. The absence of safe toilets also makes it difficult for girls to attend school, especially during their periods, perpetuating educational and economic inequality. Informal workers, such as street vendors, have their productivity reduced as the lack of basic facilities affects their dignity and social and economic integration.
The environmental impact is equally worrying. Inadequate disposal of human waste pollutes drinking water sources and degrades entire ecosystems, contaminating water resources and compromising food security, creating a vicious cycle of vulnerability and poverty. For the homeless population, conditions are even more severe, as the absence of public toilets forces them to defecate in the open, worsening their exclusion and creating health risks.
Despite the gravity of the situation, local and international initiatives offer hope. In Namibia, community-led decentralized sanitation systems offer low-cost solutions in regions without public sewage networks. In Nairobi, Kenya, partnerships between local organizations and private companies have implemented shared, container-based toilet systems. In East Africa, hybrid models that combine state support and market initiatives have improved access to sanitation in vulnerable areas, showing that, with creativity and political will, it is possible to transform similar realities.
In Brazil, progress is uneven. While in the Southeast 86.2% of the population is served by sewage networks, in the North this rate is only 22.8%. This disparity reflects a history of public policies that privilege rich urban areas to the detriment of peripheral communities. The lack of land regularization is one of the biggest obstacles for these communities, preventing them from being formally recognized and included in urban planning and government budgets.
The universalization of basic sanitation in Brazil requires more than financial investments. A paradigm shift is needed that prioritizes the most vulnerable people and recognizes that sanitation is a fundamental human right. Land regularization is an essential step to include invisible communities in urban planning. Collaborative governance, which involves governments, communities and the private sector, can articulate solutions adapted to local needs, while innovative models, such as community biogas plants and decentralized systems, can offer sustainable alternatives, experiences that are present in several countries.
Ensuring access to toilets, drinking water and sewage networks is not a luxury, but a basic need and a fundamental human right. It is the first step towards breaking the cycle of exclusion and poverty that traps millions of Brazilians in degrading living conditions, to say the least. International Toilet Day reminds us that, even in a country with great resources and potential, millions of citizens still live without dignity and are exposed to predictable diseases. This reality is a reflection of structural negligence and the lack of political commitment to face a crisis that affects the most vulnerable sections of the population.
We can no longer accept this condition as inevitable. Brazilian society, in all its spheres, must demand concrete and urgent actions. Municipal, state and federal governments must assume responsibility for implementing public policies with clear deadlines and goals, ensuring investments in basic sanitation and infrastructure. This effort must include land regularization in unconventional ways and forms for invisible communities, prioritizing technical and innovative solutions adapted to their specific realities.
It is the role of each citizen to demand that their elected representatives commit to policies that place the most vulnerable at the center of decisions. We need committed leaders, capable of articulating resources and implementing changes that guarantee the dignity of all. This is not an ideological problem in which some are against each other. The future of a country begins with the basics: taking care of the health, environment and dignity of its people. Ignoring this urgency is perpetuating inequality; Facing it means reaffirming that a more just and humane Brazil is possible. The time to act is now.
*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Jovem Pan.
