By Marina Grossi and Édison Carlos

The situation of basic sanitation in Brazil is alarming, and this is nothing new. In the country, we still have around 36 million Brazilians without access to treated water, more than 100 million without sewage collection and only 38% of sewage with some type of treatment. This means uncontrolled pollution 24 hours a day, polluting rivers and seas and returning to the population in the form of diseases.

Seven years after the Sanitation Law (Law No. 11,445 of 2007) was enacted, more resources and advances have been made available, but in insufficient quantities to meet the country's needs, particularly in the collection and treatment of sewage. The PAC resources, the sector's hope for the large demand for public works, are essential, but have not been used in their entirety due to the heavy bureaucracy involved in getting the money to the projects, the poor quality of the projects, the delay in obtaining environmental licenses in the states, the shortcomings of many contractors, and the lack of agility on the part of city governments.

The lack of this most basic infrastructure does not only affect our health, the most visible aspect of the problem, but goes much further, affecting several other areas of society. We harm the environment, education, productivity, work, and tourism.

As Labor Day approaches, it is worth highlighting the impact on workers, companies and students. In 2008, according to data from the IBGE, 15.8 million people reported having been absent from work for at least one day. Of this total, 969 thousand absences were caused by diarrhea, of which 304.8 thousand were working and 707.4 thousand were attending school or daycare.

Data from 2012, according to the study Economic Benefits of the Expansion of Brazilian Sanitation, published in 2014 by the Trata Brasil Institute and the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), showed that 300,000 workers lost 900,000 days of work. Of this total, 37% in the Southeast Region and 27.1% in the Northeast.

With each absence, 16.7 hours of work were lost, which is equivalent to a loss of R$151.13 per absence. Thus, it is estimated that, in 2012, R$1.112 billion was spent on hours paid for but not actually worked. Also according to the study, universalizing water and sewage services would make it possible to reduce absences from work by 23% — approximately 196 thousand fewer days, with gains of R$258 million per year.

In tourism, it is estimated that universalization would create almost 500,000 jobs, including placements in hotels, inns, restaurants, agencies, passenger transport companies, etc. The income generated by these activities would reach R$7.2 billion per year in salaries and a GDP growth of more than R$12 billion for the country.

In addition to harming companies, which pay for hours not worked, workers feel the loss of basic sanitation in their pockets. Citizens with access to sewage collection and treatment earn salaries, on average, 10.1% higher than those who live in places without sewage collection. The lack of access to treated water imposes an average loss of 4% in labor remuneration.

Since the average income from work in Brazil in 2012 was approximately R$1,432, universal access to sewage and treated water would result in an increase of more than R$88 per month for the average worker, that is, an increase of R$6.113. This increase in the country's wage bill, which is currently around R$1.7 trillion, would allow for an increase in payments of R$105.5 billion per year.

The country's lack of sanitation services also harms education. Students without access to sewage collection have a greater educational deficit than those who have access to sanitation. Very young children who are repeatedly affected by diseases caused by polluted water can lose up to 18% of their ability to learn, according to a 2009 study by FGV. A more recent study shows that universal access to sanitation causes a 6.8% reduction in the average school delay, enabling an increase in the average schooling of Brazilian workers in the coming years, with effects on productivity and income.

In short, it is more than evident that the lack of this basic infrastructure affects the entire social chain of a population, reducing the country's already low productivity, today and in the near future. Basic sanitation really must be a priority!

Marina Grossi is president of CEBDS (Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development) and Édison Carlos is president of Instituto Trata Brasil

Article published in Correio Braziliense on May 12, 2014