The volume of treated water that Brazil loses annually through leaks in distribution would be enough to supply 54 million people.
This is what a study conducted by Instituto Trata Brasil indicates, based on public data made available by SNIS (National Sanitation Information System).
In 2022, more than 3.6 billion cubic meters of potable water were wasted due to this type of loss (called "physical losses" in sector jargon).
Considering other problems, such as commercial losses, measurement errors, and water theft, the value is even higher. It was 7 billion cubic meters of unbilled water, equivalent to almost 7,636 Olympic-sized swimming pools wasted daily.
According to the entity, about 37.8% of the water in the country was lost during distribution in 2022 and did not reach households. Trata Brasil states that this level is more than 20 percentage points above the average recorded in developed countries, which is 15%.