Water utility guarantees all-year-round supplies for São Paulo

Dilma Pena, president of São Paulo water utility company Sabesp, declared Thursday (Apr 10) that calculations made by the company indicate safe reservoir levels for the remainder of the year, with no need for rationing, “taking into consideration a worst-case scenario for precipitation and the use of our technical reserves.” The day before, however, Sabesp had released a report stating they might in fact be forced to resort to water rationing.

According to São Paulo Governor Geraldo Alckmin, whether or not rationing will be necessary will be determined by Sabesp’s technical assessment. “It hasn’t been settled yet. I said we haven’t ruled it out, but we must make a careful evaluation. Whatever the results may be, [the appropriate measures] will be implemented,” he stated.

The governor further announced that technicians will include in their assessment the effects of the 30% discount on the water bill for those who cut their consumption by 20%, a program recently extended to 31 other municipalities. A reduction of 2 m³/sec has been reported in the region previously covered by the initiative.

Sabesp’s president, however, said that measures taken to encourage lower consumption levels should be implemented alongside other actions, like transferring water from the high Tietê and Guarapiringa rivers into the main system. Dilma Pena also stated that the dead volume – water lying at the bottom of the container – will be available for use as of May.

In addition, Dilma Pena guaranteed that the low volume currently stored in the Cantareira reservoir (12% of its capacity) is no indication that it will run out of water. She argues that the system keeps being fed by the rivers and replenishing its supplies. “Nature won’t stop,” she added.

Pena pointed out that São Paulo is the only state with a security plan for water supplies up to 2035, and mentioned the plan drawn up by the utility company for the city. Nonetheless, the São Paulo Prosecution Office has declared it will launch an investigation to ascertain whether the crisis was mismanaged by Sabesp, as suspicions arose that safety measures against adverse weather conditions have not been taken.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira