Do you get what you pay for?

What constitutes a perfectly satisfactory water supply to some people, leaves others considering themselves under-served. No one that I met drank the water from the faucet in Brazil. However, this is not uncommon where I am from in Washington State either- mostly as a preference rather than necessity. Numerous times people said to me "don't drink the water!", which is what any typical traveler is told. But this goes for the residents of the cities I visited as well. Every household has purchased big water jugs with taps for their homes, or have their own filtration systems on the wall next to the kitchen sink. Other than homes, every restaurant automatically would offer a bottle of water if you asked for water. Usually the water would come in mini bottles at R$2 or $R2.50. Also, if you ordered a different drink, you were always asked if you wanted "yelo" (this means ice in Portuguese). This is what the residents are accustomed to, but there is still a lot of concern and much more progress to be made.

 After talking with my host family, I learned that people typically pay around R$30 to R$50 per month for water if they live in a house. This does not always include sanitation in the cost. People who live in apartments usually get water for a fairly cheap cost which is included in the rent. But according to Silvia Cruz, an environmental graduate who spoke to our class, 83% of the population have in-house access to the water supply, while 57% of the population have access to the public sanitation system, plus an added 12% who have septic tanks in Brazil. The metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, has 11% of the population, but only 1.6% of fresh water.

 

A favela outside of Sao Paulo

The favelas or slums or more appropriately named... "comunidades" have been given credit for the pollution. In Brazil, "favelas" are defined as: one comes into being when squatters occupy vacant land at the edge of a city and construct shanties of salvaged or stolen materials. Communities form over time, often developing an array of social and religious organizations and forming associations to obtain such services as running water and electricity. Sometimes the residents manage to gain title to the land and then are able to improve their homes. Crowding, unsanitary conditions, worse nutrition, pollution, and disease are more present in the poorer favelas. (merriam-webster) 

However, conditions have improved over time, but still many of these communities don't have access to well constructed piping systems or can't get supplied water from the city. A lot of these areas are close to water reservoirs, which in turn promotes more chances of dumping of domestic waste. A friend that we met in Rio de Janeiro, informed me that São Conrado is a neighborhood in Rio that has terrible sanitation treatment and allowing waste to make its way into the sea. Although many improvements have been made for treatment of water, large cities are still left with a huge problem in dealing with it, associated with old piping, unstable pipes, or no pipes at all. It makes me question how tight the regulations are on having a clean city. This is a country that is faced with populous city centers, but no solutions and not enough education to combat water pollution.

I found out what the water bins are that you see either in tan or blue on the top of homes. A Brazilian, Jonathan Jones, provided me with the following information: Most Brazilian homes have a Tanque de Agua (water tank) made out of Masonite located on top of their house. The city water is piped up to that tank, which holds around 100 to 500 liters of water depending on the size of the tank. From the water tank the water is then allowed to flow into the house's plumbing, for most in home plumbing in Brazil is not pressurized like it is in the United States. The water tank on top of the house sometimes has a tendency to collect moss or algae.