A relação entre saúde e saneamento básico a partir do papel das tarifas sociais

Abstract

In Brazil, public authorities face difficulties in ensuring the universalization of sanitation services, which mainly affects economically vulnerable families. In Pernambuco, it is no different, as its capital presents great challenges in providing continuous service of treated water supply, exacerbating the social inequalities present in the region. Thus, the objective of this work is to portray the correlation between health and sanitation, highlighting the role of subsidy policies in meeting the goals of universalizing services. In addition, it presents studies on the entry of private initiatives in the sanitation sector, which is one of the proposals of the new regulatory framework for basic sanitation in the country. However, the privatization of sanitation services is strongly criticized by experts, given the negative experiences in other countries, where several concessions were terminated due to the precariousness of services and the tariff increases felt by users. In this scenario, social tariffs emerge as an important tool to ensure access to basic sanitation services for low-income populations. However, this research pointed out the need for a review of the social tariff model that allocates the entire low-income population to a single group, ignoring their consumption specificities. In this sense, it is essential to conduct new studies regarding the tariff structure, especially regarding subsidy policies, aimed at ensuring continuous access to sanitation services for poor users.