Gabriela de Ávila Machado
Lawyer at Marcos Martins Advogados
In a remote session on June 24, the Senate approved Bill 4.162/2019, which had already been approved by the Chamber of Deputies in December 2019.
The Bill establishes the new regulatory framework for basic sanitation, which was awaited by the entire population, and aims to guarantee millions of Brazilians access to water and sewage treatment services.
Basic sanitation is a basic human right and the legal framework is expected to attract “more than R$700 billion in investments, which could generate an average of 700,000 jobs in the country over the next 14 years. “This is economic development, it’s warming up for the post-pandemic recovery,” according to Sepec/ME’s Secretary for Infrastructure Development.
The main changes brought about by the Bill are:
(a) the possibility of private initiative entering the provision of sanitation services;
(b) the National Water Agency becomes the regulatory body in matters related to the subject;
(c) creation of regionalized provision;
(d) setting a deadline of one year for tenders.
The bill awaits the President’s sanction for publication.
