President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sanctioned, with a veto, the law that obliges sanitation concessionaires to prevent water waste. The norm also deals with the use of rainwater and so-called gray water, that used in showers, bathroom sinks, tanks and washing machines. Law No. 14,546/2003 was published this Wednesday (5) in the Official Diary of the Union.
The new standard includes two articles in the Basic Sanitation Law (Law No. 11,445/2007). Under the new rule, it is the obligation of public water supply service providers to correct failures in the hydraulic network to prevent leaks and increase the efficiency of the distribution system. Companies must also inspect the supply network to curb irregular connections.
The text also establishes that the Union must encourage the use of rainwater and the non-potable reuse of gray water in new buildings and in landscaping, agricultural, forestry and industrial activities. According to the new law, rainwater and gray water must undergo a treatment process that ensures safe use.
Veto
President Lula vetoed one of the provisions of the text approved by the National Congress last month. The section stipulated that rainwater and gray water could only be used for “less restrictive activities in terms of quality”.
According to the veto message sent to Parliament, the president justifies that the measure “would make it unfeasible to use rainwater for consumption in the Brazilian semi-arid region and would cause water insecurity for the inhabitants of the region, since there is widespread use of cisterns for collection of rainwater and its use for various purposes, including use as drinking water”.
The veto must be analyzed within 30 days by senators and deputies, who may maintain or reject it.
