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2.1 Million People in São Paulo Live Under Water Rationing
08/11/2014 - 10h55
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ARTUR RODRIGUES
HELOISA BRENHA
FROM SÃO PAULO
The state of São Paulo is currently suffering its worst water crisis in decades. More than two million people are currently under water rationing - this is equal to one in twenty in Brazil's most populous state.
As a Folha survey discovered, the population is facing daily disruptions to its water supply, lasting anything from four hours to two days.
More than 200 municipalities (not covered by the State Company of Basic Sanitation [SABESP]) were surveyed.
SABESP is responsible for providing water to 27.7 million people in 364 towns and cities across São Paulo.
The company denies the existence of a rationing program, despite complaints about disruptions to the water supply, especially at night, and even in the city of São Paulo.
In the other 281 municipalities which are not attended by SABESP, the water supply is the responsibility of the local government, or of companies contracted by local government.
Folha contacted hundreds of companies last week, in every city of more than 100,000 inhabitants in the state of São Paulo.
It also spoke with people in a number of other cities in the state that have been forced to impose water restrictions.
Currently, restrictions have been imposed by at least 18 municipalities, including Guarulhos, the second largest city in the state after the city of São Paulo.
1.3 million people in Guarulhos have access to water only every other day.
Guarulhos is supplied by the municipal service (SAAE), and was one of the first cities hit by the crisis in the Cantareira system, the main source of water for the São Paulo metropolitan area.
On Saturday, reserves were at just 14.1% of full capacity.
In March, SABESP reduced the water sold to Guarulhos by 15.5%. Soon afterwards, the city was forced into water rationing.
According to SAAE, this was the only way to "distribute fairly the available water."
The same reasoning was used in Valinhos (53 miles from São Paulo). The city is just one of 11 in the Campinas area that is undergoing rationing.
There are another three close to Sorocaba, which has also been badly hit.
For Antonio Carlos Zuffo, professor of engineering at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), the shortage is due to the ongoing dependence of many cities upon rainwater. This year has been unusually dry in São Paulo.
However, at least seven cities, including Santo Antônio de Posse and Cravinhos, have canceled rationing following rains which topped the water supply.
The State Department for Water Resources said that it provides technical assistance to the cities undergoing rationing, though it is unable to provide more financial resources on account of laws relating to the elections this year.
Translated by TOM GATEHOUSE