Sanitation in Patos Only 11.7% of Patos's sewage is collected and treated

Only 11.7% of the sewage produced in Patos is collected. All collected sewage is treated, but the rest goes uncollected. In Paraíba, the rate is 40.5%; in Brazil, 51.8%^[1].

That is 78,863 residents, 73.2% of the population, without sewage collection^[1]. In 2021, according to federal data, only 13.36% of residents were served^[3].

The 2022 Census counts 82.6% of homes in Patos as connected to the “rede geral, rede pluvial ou fossa ligada à rede” (general network, storm drain or septic tank linked to the network). The storm drain, built for rainwater, counts as if it were a sewage network^[4].

On rua Sebastião Monteiro, in Monte Castelo, the rapporteur recorded that the drain takes sewage from houses uphill, “comprometendo o mínimo de salubridade exigido” (undermining the minimum required sanitary conditions). The state court upheld the order for the city to do the work, in a case brought by the Ministério Público (prosecutors). The ruling can still be appealed^[5].

Even by the Census, which counts the storm drain as a network, Patos has 1,323 homes with a rudimentary cesspit or hole, 512 that dump sewage in a ditch and 450 that discharge it into a river, lake or stream^[4].

The World Health Organization says a large share of diarrhoea can be prevented with safe water and adequate sanitation. Worldwide, diarrhoea is the third leading cause of death in children under 5^[6].

In Brazil, waterborne diseases kept people from work, school and daily activities in 43.3 million cases in 2019. In the Northeast, there were 238.1 cases per thousand people. The less access to sewage collection and treated water, the more absences^[7].

From 2021 to 2025, the Patos city government committed nothing under the Sanitation line of its budget. In 2026, up to October 22, it was 18 thousand reais, for a technical report on the Riacho do Frango canal^[2].

The sewage network is run by Cagepa, a state company. In 2024, the city government's communication secretary blamed the clogged drains on the “baixa cobertura de saneamento básico” (low basic sanitation coverage) and said sanitation “é responsabilidade da Cagepa” (is Cagepa's responsibility)^[3]. In August 2026, Cagepa approved a R$30.6 million tender to expand the city's sewage system^[8].

The Mapa supports the São João: culture and leisure are rights of the people. The comparison is about priorities. In 2025, the city government paid R$2.67 million to the company that runs the festival, which lasted five nights, June 19 to 23^[2].

In 2024, it was R$2.47 million. In 2026, R$2.87 million committed, more than 150 times the sanitation account in the same year. This is only what went to the organizing company; other festival costs are left out^[2].