With more than 180,000 services and 43 million already invested, the concessionaire celebrates improved access to water in communities with a critical supply

About to complete its first year of operation in charge of basic sanitation services in 34 municipalities in the Baixo São Francisco, Agreste, and Sertão regions of Alagoas, the Águas do Sertão concessionaire shares the results of this first stage towards the goal of universalizing water in its service area within the next five years, and sewage by 2033.

Controlled by Conasa Infraestrutura, winner of the auction held in 2021 for the concession of Block B sanitation services in the state for 35 years, the company has already carried out more than 180,000 services in these 12 months of intense activity, generating around 450 direct jobs and another 200 indirect jobs in the state. 

In addition, through the #VamosJuntos project, created to speed up the process of mapping the consumption profile of each location and combating water losses, the teams have already replaced 73,000 water meters and re-registered more than 100,000 customers. Through joint efforts in various locations, more than 4,500 families have already been included in the Social Tariff, a benefit that guarantees a 50% discount on water and sewage bills.

To celebrate its first anniversary and further strengthen its relationship with customers, Águas do Sertão will be launching an exclusive app in the next few days, in which each consumer will be able to follow all the details of their contract and consumption, have access to a duplicate bill, make payments on debts and report leaks, as well as quickly request and follow up on a series of services, such as reconnection and inspection. Another new feature is the look of the bill, which has been redesigned to make it even easier for customers to understand, highlighting important information such as the registration number and details of consumption and providing tips on conscious consumption.

"Since the first day of operation, we have been concerned with offering a differentiated customer service experience both through 24-hour digital channels and in the physical stores in each of the municipalities where we operate," says Antônio Hercules Neto, director of the dealership. "Now, with this new app, we want each customer to be even closer to us and engaged in the concept of conscious water consumption, complementing the door-to-door work we already do in the communities through our Social Responsibility team," he adds.

Improvements

Águas do Sertão is also firmly on track with its works planning schedule and is making several improvements that are already guaranteeing a better quality of life for several communities that previously had critical access to water, such as Mata Grande, Igaci, Pão de Açúcar, São José da Tapera, among many others.

With approximately 43 million invested in this first year alone in improvements such as network extensions, frequent replacement, and cleaning of filters at Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) and wells, "leak-hunting" and "fraud-hunting" operations, and also through the work of a dedicated Water Quality Control team, the concessionaire has already managed to increase the volume of treated water available in several locations.

But there's much more to come: with the financing of R$800 million approved by the Banco do Nordeste, Águas do Sertão is now preparing the projects and documentation to release the financial contribution and start the new phase of work.

"Alongside the investments, another major point to highlight is the qualification of the team of specialists, who have contributed with operational intelligence so that the whole system works more efficiently, which already allows for a better redistribution of the available water," says the director. "We know how urgent it is to ensure that everyone has regular access to quality water and we are very happy to see that the targets that had been set for this first year have been met," he concludes.

About Águas do Sertão

In all, 34 municipalities and 151 towns are served by the concessionaire. Except for the four cities in which it is responsible for the complete water treatment and distribution process – Penedo, São Miguel dos Campos, Porto Real do Colégio, and Pão de Açúcar – all the other 30 municipalities are served in partnership with CASAL. This company is still responsible for water collection and treatment.

The service is divided into three centers, with a population of approximately 600,000 people:

Núcleo Delmiro Gouveia (Água Branca, Delmiro Gouveia, Inhapi, Mata Grande, Olho D’Água do Casado, Pariconha, and Piranhas); Núcleo Santana do Ipanema (Belo Monte, Cacimbinhas, Carneiros, Dois Riachos, Igaci, Jaramataia, Maravilha, Monteirópolis, Olivença, Ouro Branco, Palestina, Palmeira dos Índios, Pão de Açúcar, Poço das Trincheiras, Quebrangulo, Santana do Ipanema, São José da Tapera, and Senador Rui Palmeira); and Núcleo Penedo (Feira Grande, Igreja Nova, Junqueiro, Piaçabuçu, São Brás, Traipu, Penedo, Porto Real do Colégio, and São Miguel dos Campos).