Avaliação de efeitos de uma revisão tarifária na acessibilidade econômica de usuários dos serviços públicos de abastecimento de água potável e esgotamento sanitário de prestador regional no estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil

Abstract

Affordability constitutes a normative component of the Human Right to Water Supply and Sanitation (HRWSS) and a critical determinant for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6. The economic dimension is a mandatory criterion for establishing the remuneration structure for water supply and sewer services in Brazil – Article 30, VI, of Law 14.026/2020. Regulatory agencies are required to ensure access to services and infrastructure at costs affordable to all citizens. This study evaluated impacts of water and sanitation tariffs on household income in 632 municipalities in Minas Gerais, resulting from tariff payments following the 2021 Periodic Tariff Revision conducted by the State Sanitation Company (Copasa) and its subsidiary. Simulations were conducted to estimate the household income commitment (HIC) using a conventional methodology. This approach calculates the HIC as the ratio between household expenditure on services and household income. The analysis utilized data on household size and per capita income from the 2010 Demographic Census conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), restricted to urban households. Simulations were based on two reference points: the minimum monthly per capita water consumption of 3 m³ recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the self-reported average monthly per capita consumption recorded in the 2021 National Sanitation Information System. The study compared the impacts of tariff structures before and after the revision. The findings indicate that low-income households were disproportionately affected by the tariff revision, particularly those with a per capita income of up to ¼ of the minimum wage. Additionally, there was a marked increase in the number of households with access only to water supply and sewage collection whose HIC exceeded 5%. Conversely, households with access to both sewage collection and treatment exhibited significant reductions in HIC, as anticipated. It was also determined that the mesoregions of Jequitinhonha, Northern Minas, and Vale do Mucuri exhibit greater vulnerability in terms of access to sanitation services. In conclusion, the study observed that the revised tariff structures implemented by the regional service providers do not effectively incorporate the HRWSS component related to users’ economic accessibility.