Assessing the Impact of SARS-CoV-2 on Water Consumption in São Paulo State, Brazil

This study investigated the changes that occurred during the pandemic of COVID-19 in urban water consumption in residential, commercial, industrial, and public agencies in the city of São Leopoldo, southern Brazil, which has about 55,000 consumers and over 200,000 inhabitants. Overall, the city increased water consumption by 5.6% during the 2-year pandemic, with 5.9% in 2020 and 5.5% in 2021. Residential and industrial consumption increased by 6.77 and 9.92% in the first year, and by 5.47 and 14.45% in the second year, respectively. On the other hand, commercial and public sector consumption decreased, respectively, 5.48 and 46.26%, in the first year, and also 1.83 and 40.99% in the second year. In the first months of the pandemic, there was a sharp increase in residential water consumption at the same time as a reduction in consumption in the other categories. In contrast, there was a slight return to previous water consumption patterns in the following months. Overall, we can affirm that the more central neighborhoods presented higher changes in water consumption than the peripheral neighborhoods. In addition, the water consumption during the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods was statistically different for residential, industrial, and public consumers.

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Changes in Global Domestic Water Use Due to Handwashing for Preventing COVID-19: An Assessment

Rahaman

Hossain

Zisan

et al. 2023

Water

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The emergence of COVID-19 has created many unanticipated changes globally, particularly in terms of the availability and use of water resources. This study aims to estimate the potential increase in global domestic water use, exclusively due to the handwashing requirement for COVID-19. To assess the potential increase in domestic water use, this study analyzed population and water use data of 175 countries. Based on WHO guidelines, the additional water required for handwashing per person per day was estimated to be 0.018 m3 and was integrated with water use and population data for the analysis. These findings reveal that if everyone washes their hands six times a day solely to prevent the spread of coronavirus, global domestic water use and total water use would increase by about 11.96% and 1.25%, respectively. Africa (23.88%), Asia (15.05%), Latin America, and the Caribbean (7.18%) are anticipated to have the most significant increases in domestic water use due to the increased handwashing. This is a concerning phenomenon because these nations are already experiencing water shortages, even before the pandemic. These results may aid these countries in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6, by guiding stakeholders and decision-makers to take action to address the water resource management challenges posed by the unexpected rise in water use caused by events such as COVID-19.

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Assessing the Impact of SARS-CoV-2 on Water Consumption in São Paulo State, Brazil

Cited by 3 publications

References 35 publications

Financial Implications of COVID-19 for Public Water Systems

Financial Implications of COVID-19 for Public Water Systems

Spatio-temporal changes in urban water consumption during 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic in southern Brazil

Changes in Global Domestic Water Use Due to Handwashing for Preventing COVID-19: An Assessment

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