Sabesp authorized to increase water capture from Paraíba do Sul to support Cantareira

Sabesp obtained authorization to raise water capture from the Paraíba do Sul basin, which also supplies Rio de Janeiro, in order to reinforce the Cantareira system that provides drinking water to about 10 million people in the São Paulo metropolitan area.

The agreement, signed by the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais together with the National Water and Sanitation Agency (ANA), lifts the annual maximum transposition from 162 hm³ to up to 268.28 hm³ and allows a capture rate of up to 8.5 m³/s. The arrangement is valid until 31 December 2026 and can be suspended if Cantareira’s usable volume rises above 60%.

Automatic safeguards include halting the increased quota if Cantareira recovers capacity or if Sabesp fails to meet water‑saving targets, and guaranteeing a minimum downstream flow of 71 m³/s to the Rio Guandu, the main water source for Rio de Janeiro.