According to a ranking by the Instituto Trata Brasil, sewage service coverage in João Pessoa has seen a significant decline of 9.24 percentage points from 2020 to 2025. This report, released on Wednesday, assesses the basic sanitation conditions across the 100 most populous municipalities in Brazil, emphasizing the deteriorating situation in João Pessoa. From the data analyzed, the city now ranks 70th overall, a 14-position drop, with only 72.36% sewage service coverage in both urban and rural areas.

The report references data from the National System of Basic Sanitation Information (Sinisa), provided by the Ministry of Cities, which underscores the critical condition of basic sanitation in João Pessoa. Alongside the sewage service concerns, the capital also struggles with its urban water supply, ranking 94th with just 78.58% coverage. This highlights broader issues of resource management and infrastructure challenges within the city, reflecting a pressing need for improvements and investment in basic sanitation.

In response to the findings, Cagepa, the local utility company, indicated that there may have been discrepancies in the data reporting for João Pessoa, and steps are being taken to rectify these issues. This situation necessitates ongoing monitoring and potentially immediate actions to reverse the declining trend of sanitation services to ensure public health and compliance with national standards.