Universal Sanitation - SC
Santa Catarina is turning sanitation into climate policy, with international funding and projects that improve public health, urban resilience, and environmental quality.
State:
SC
Biome(s):
Region:
South
Key objectives:
Responsible agency:
Santa Catarina State Department of Infrastructure and Mobility + CASAN
Legal Instrument:
State Sanitation Policy (Law 13,517/2005); Sanitation Legal Framework (Law 14,026/2020); State Program Bill (ALESC, 2025)
Santa Catarina is transforming sanitation into an effective climate policy by combining a state program aimed at universal access to services with international financing and public-private partnerships. The goal is to ensure 99% access to water and 90% sewage collection and treatment by 2033, benefiting approximately 1.7 million people. The initiative is being implemented by the Santa Catarina Water and Sanitation Company (CASAN), with support from the La Plata Basin Development Bank (FONPLATA), which provided a US$55 million loan—the bank’s first non-sovereign financing in Brazil’s sanitation sector. Construction is already underway, such as the sewage system in the southern part of the island in Florianópolis, with an investment of R$ 65 million and an estimated 15,000 residents served. The program aims to increase sewage coverage from 32% to 90% and maintain water supply coverage above 98%, thereby reducing diseases, improving river quality, and contributing to the mitigation of methane emissions.
- Active international financing: the US$55 million CASAN-FONPLATA transaction has been officially announced. FONPLATA notes that this is the first non-sovereign transaction in the sector in Brazil. - Ongoing programmatic framework: Bill 231/2025 is being processed by ALESC, establishing the Santa Catarina Sanitation Program and aligning its implementation with the goals of the Legal Framework (99% water and 90% sewage coverage by 2033).
- Reduction in waterborne diseases and improvement in river water quality as the volume of treated wastewater increases. - Decrease in methane levels at wastewater treatment plants as collection and treatment capacity expands, leading to reduced emissions and improved energy efficiency at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).
Replicability:
The combination of international financing, state investments, and public-private partnerships creates a framework that other states can adapt to their specific circumstances. The arrangement is replicable because it uses common legal instruments (state law, sectoral plans, and national regulatory frameworks) but links them to climate and public health goals, transforming sanitation into a policy for adaptation and mitigation.Innovation:
The innovation lies in treating sanitation as both a climate and social policy. Santa Catarina does not merely comply with the Legal Framework, but links its goals to health, climate, and environmental quality indicators. The pioneering use of direct international financing (through FONPLATA) and coordination with public-private partnerships provide financial predictability and accelerate universal access, while reducing methane emissions at wastewater treatment plants and improving urban resilience.Actions
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