Performance of Water Supply Services in Brazil: A Comparative Analysis between Public and Private Providers

Authors

Keywords:

sanitation, indicators, water supply, public, private

Abstract

This study analyzed the performance of water supply service providers in Brazil, classified as public and private, based on indicators from the National Sanitation Information System (SINISA/2023). Administrative, financial, structural, operational, and quality parameters were evaluated using statistical tests (Welch’s t-test), 95% confidence intervals, and min–max normalization. The results showed that public providers perform better in terms of coverage and infrastructure, while private providers stand out in administrative and financial efficiency, with lower default rates and personnel expenses. However, the overall analysis did not reveal statistically significant differences between the groups, suggesting complementarity between the models. These findings indicate that the public versus private management debate should be addressed in a contextualized manner, considering regional, environmental, and regulatory factors. It is concluded that the legal nature of the provider alone does not determine service efficiency or quality, highlighting the need for more detailed regional analyses to support public policies aimed at universal access to water.

Author Biographies

João Henrique Corrêa Pinto, Universidade de Brasília/Departamento de Engenharia Civil e Ambiental

Major do quadro de oficiais combatentes do Corpo de Bombeiros Militar do Distrito Federal. Possui formação acadêmica em Física-Licenciatura pela Universidade de Brasília (2008) e especialização (Lato Sensu) em Docência no Ensino Superior (IESB) e Combate a Incêndio Florestal (UFG). Atualmente ocupa a função de Comandante do 11 GBM (Lago Sul), com especializações corporativas em Combate a Incêndio Florestal e Emergências com Produtos Perigosos (Nível Técnico), Investigação e Perícia de Incêndios Estruturais (CBMDF) e Florestais (IBAMA), Sistema de Comando de Incidentes, Orientação e Navegação Terrestre e Geotecnologias. Atualmente graduando em Engenharia Ambiental pela Universidade de Brasília.

Carlos Henrique Ribeiro Lima, Universidade de Brasília / Departamento de Engenharia Civil e Ambiental

Possui Graduação (sanduíche) em Engenharia Mecânica pela Universidade de Brasília (2002) e Technische Universitat Munchen (2000), Mestrado em Engenharia Civil (Recursos Hídricos) pela Universidade Federal do Ceará (2004), PhD em Earth and Environmental Engineering pela Columbia University - EUA (2009) e Pos-Doc pelo Earth Institute-Columbia University (2009-2010) e pela University of California, Irvine (2016). Professor Associado III da Universidade de Brasília, no momento é Subchefe do Departamento de Engenharia Civil e Ambiental. Foi coordenador do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Tecnologia Ambiental e Recursos Hídricos (PTARH) no período 2017-2020. Atualmente é Editor Associado da Revista Brasileira de Recursos Hídricos (RBRH) e do Environmental Data Science Journal. Atua no desenvolvimento e aplicação de modelos que buscam um melhor entendimento e quantificação do impacto da variabilidade climática nos diversos setores da sociedade. Particularmente, tem desenvolvido e aplicado modelos estatísticos (Bayesianos, GLM, etc) e de inteligência artificial (SVM, Deep Learning, KPCA, etc) para análise e previsão de dados hidroclimatológicos, incluindo secas, cheias, geração hidroenergética e gerenciamento dos recursos hídricos. Coordena o Projeto de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento de Tecnologia para Implementação do Sistema Nacional de Informações em Saneamento Básico (SINISA), financiado pelo Ministério do Desenvolvimento Regional (MDR). No passado trabalhou com uso de modelos não-lineares de turbulência e análise da interação rio-aqüífero a partir de modelos físicos (MODFLOW) e experimentos. 

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Published

2026-11-03

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 2026 (2026): Water Management Journal in Latin America - REGA - ISSN 2359-1919

Section

Novel Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Revista de Gestão de Água da América Latina (Water Management Journal in Latin America)

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