PUBLIC MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN BELO HORIZONTE: ANALYSIS OF WATER LOSSES IN THE SUPPLY SYSTEM

Abstract

The sustainable management of water resources is one of the main challenges facing contemporary cities. In Belo Horizonte, this challenge concerns not only the conservation of water sources but also the efficiency of the public supply system. This study analyzes water losses in distribution as an environmental, economic, social, and administrative problem. It adopts an exploratory and descriptive approach, combining qualitative document analysis with the examination of quantitative indicators published by official and institutional sources. The results highlight a relevant divergence between the loss indicator reported for Belo Horizonte in the 2026 Sanitation Ranking, based on SINISA 2024 data, and the corporate indicator disclosed by Copasa for 2024. Because the values may reflect different reference periods, coverage areas, and calculation methods, they should not be directly compared without methodological qualification. The study concludes that reducing water losses requires integrated public action involving infrastructure renewal, leak detection, improved metering, control of apparent losses, transparent data governance, metropolitan coordination, and social participation. Such measures can improve system efficiency, reduce pressure on water sources, and strengthen water security and sustainable development.