The city of São Paulo is approaching the universalization of sewage treatment. According to data from Sabesp’s Index of Economies Connected to Sewage Treatment, the capital of São Paulo jumped from 86% in 2024 to 94.1% in 2026. The goal is to reach 99% and bring forward the deadline set by the New Sanitation Legal Framework by four years. The advance is the result of the 120% increase in the investments made by the company after the privatization carried out in 2024 by the Government of São Paulo.
The capital has already achieved universal access to water distribution and sewage collection, reaching 99.98% and 99.26%, respectively, according to the National Basic Sanitation Information System (Sinisa).
The improvement in the sewage treatment rate does not yet account for households located in rural and irregular areas, which are currently undergoing a detailed census of the situation that will guide the actions. The contract prior to privatization only included service in regular urbanized areas or in the process of regularization, so that vulnerable communities and rural regions were left out of projects to expand access to water and sewage.
A survey by MIT Technology Review, produced based on the Sabesp case in São Paulo, points out that the universalization of basic sanitation has a direct impact on social, economic and environmental development. On the climate front, the Company projects that the expansion of services, combined with the adoption of less emitting technologies in sewage treatment plants, could avoid the emission of up to 9.1 million tons of CO₂ equivalent by 2050. The study also estimates that the company’s investments could directly influence the Brazilian GDP by 2060 and generate around 4.6 million jobs.
According to the survey, people living in areas covered by sanitation have an average income of R$3,359, compared to R$2,103 among those without access. In education, young people who live in households with their own bathroom obtain higher grades on the Enem, especially in mathematics and writing. In health, the World Health Organization estimates that every US$1 invested in water and sanitation generates savings of US$4.3 in healthcare costs worldwide.
Perus region has sewage treatment for the first time
Initiatives such as the construction of the Perus Sewage Treatment Station (ETE), in the north of the city, contributed to the result. The region, which has historically been marked by a lack of infrastructure, gained a new structure that expands the sewage collection and treatment capacity and represents progress towards the environmental recovery of the Juqueri river basin, a tributary of the Tietê river.
In this first stage, the ETE comes into operation with a conventional treatment system, capable of treating up to 170 liters of sewage per second, benefiting around 250 thousand people. The investment is R$99.5 million, out of a total investment of R$221 million for the complete implementation of the station. The second stage is scheduled for the last quarter of 2026 and will feature an advanced treatment system. When completed, the ETE will have a treatment capacity of up to 715 liters per second.
The work directly benefits residents of the Perus, Jardim Adelfiore, Jardim Britânia, Vila Fanton and Vila Perus neighborhoods. 17 kilometers of sewage structures were implemented, including interconnections, trunk collectors, pressure lines, forced conduit and final outfall, in addition to three sewage pumping stations and the ETE Perus itself.
The implementation of the new ETE is part of the SES Perus Oeste and SES Perus Leste contracts, responsible for expanding the region’s sewage system and integrating it into the Jaraguá System. The set of works serves an estimated population of 400 thousand inhabitants. Among the watercourses benefited are the Juqueri river and the Manguinho, Ribeirão Vermelho and Ribeirão Perus streams.
Paraisópolis
In March this year, the second largest community in the capital, in the south zone, also made progress in basic sanitation. The site includes the installation of the main sewage collector, capable of receiving the entire volume generated by the population and sending it to the Treatment Station. The new structure will contribute to improving the waters of Córrego Antonico. The estimate is that around 87 thousand people will benefit from the work. Delivery is scheduled for May 2027.
Sabesp’s work will install two new sewage pipes, each 40 centimeters in diameter. These collectors will receive sewage from Paraisópolis and forward it to the Barueri Sewage Treatment Station (ETE).
IntegraTietê
The works are part of the IntegraTietê program, coordinated by Semil and considered the largest socio-environmental recovery project for the river, with planned investments of R$23.5 billion by 2029. The initiative brings together actions aimed at expanding sewage collection and treatment along more than 1,100 kilometers of the Tietê and its tributaries, in addition to removing floating waste and desilting the river.
To date, the program has already removed around 5 million m³ of sediment and connected 1.5 million homes to the sewage network, reducing the organic load released into the Tietê and its tributaries.
More investment
The contract signed with Sabesp foresees an investment of R$260 billion by 2060, of which R$70 billion will be invested by 2029 for the universalization of basic sanitation in the state.
In 2025 alone, R$15.2 billion were invested in infrastructure works, a value 120% higher compared to the previous year, with the expansion of sanitation coverage and the improvement of service quality standards.
The company is expected to invest, in the coming years, an average of R$369 per inhabitant, a value almost three times more than the national average of investments in sanitation in 2024, R$137.02 per inhabitant, according to the 2026 Sanitation Ranking from Instituto Trata Brasil.
The amount also exceeds the average investment of R$225 per inhabitant identified as necessary to guarantee the universalization of services by 2033. Between 2017 and 2024, before privatization, Sabesp invested, on average, R$171 per inhabitant. With the new cycle of contributions, the predicted value practically doubles in relation to the previous period and makes it possible to bring forward the universalization goals to 2029.
