Water and sanitation in the COVID-19 pandemic: regulation’s role and the challenge to SDG 6 in Brazil

Abstract

Access to water and sanitation is essential to combat the transmission of COVID-19. In this context, the objective of the study was to evaluate the conditions of water supply, collection and sewage treatment in the municipalities with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Brazil, also considering the role of regulation and the challenge of reaching the goals of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. It is justified by the unprecedented nature of knowledge promotion through data among these factors. Initially, the work correlated SDG 6 with water supply and sanitation using indicators from the National Sanitation Information System (Sistema Nacional de Informações sobre Saneamento – SNIS), crossing the data with the municipalities with the most cases of COVID-19 to assess performance and the role of regulation. Thus, looking at the cities with the highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19, the link between the pandemic and the ranking of the worst water and sanitation indicators became evident. The lack of these services alone does not promote the disease, but it is one of the factors that makes preventive measures difficult and may favor their dispersion and indicate the fragility of health conditions in these places. The percentages achieved were 45% for SDG 6.1, 25% for SDG 6.2 and 6.3 and 0% for SDG 6.4, mainly affecting disadvantaged communities with the highest proportion of confirmed cases of COVID-19. Therefore, regulatory agencies need to transform the indicators of continuity of water and sewage supply in Brazil, a condition applicable to developing countries.