Is Brasilia Tap Water Safe To Drink?

The tap water in Brasilia, Brazil, is safe for drinking. Treating the raw water with chlorine to disinfect or to remove bacteria. As a basic rule for travelers, you maybe not used to local water. You can always get bottled water for your convenience.

Brasilia is located in the watershed area between three major catchment areas of Brazil:

• Tocantins-Araguaia
• São Francisco
• Paraná

A growing population can cause an insufficient supply of water. Authorities are looking for alternative water resources to overcome the difficulty in the water supply. They are looking ahead to sustaining and improving water quality. Officials were focusing on advanced treatment technologies to disinfect raw water. The drinking water treatment and distribution in the federal district should be considered an integrative approach.

Water shortage caused by global warming and demand grows along with populations. The United Nations report launched at the World Water Forum in the South American nation’s capital, Brasilia. The water supply has decreased due to low rainfall as well as rapid and chaotic growth in Brasilia.

In January 2016, district officials executed water rationing. The authorities of the Federal District and Goias State also invested a consolidated $166 million to improve water infrastructure. After the completion, the system provided the Federal District’s 3 million people with 2,800 liters of water per second.

Source of Water in Brasilia, Brazil

The source of tap water in Brasilia is from surface water. It is basing to a large extent (80%) on the use of surface water from reservoirs. The quality of water from reservoirs endangered by wastewater from households, hospitals, and agricultural dispersed.

The Rio Descoberto Dam is a reservoir of water supply to Brasilia City. The completion of the dam, mass pavement gravity type in 1974. They observe water leaking at the downstream face for a few years. Dripping happens after the end of the development and filling of the reservoir. A couple of restorative works utilized in different periods, as grouting and drainage systems. All tries with no remarkable success. After these remedial works, CAESB has taken a new approach looking for the origin of the problems, to adopt a definitive solution. After several analyses, the problem origin diagnosis was the presence of pyrite in the concrete aggregate combined with the acidic water action.

Other links:

• World Water Forum, Brasilia
• Fast Facts in Brazil