Successful Municipal Experiences in Brazil: Public Utility Service in Water and Sanitation

This article summarises twenty successful experiences of public utility service in of water supply and sanitation. Examples of the key principles used in this selection are; universal access, equity, [integrality of actions] integration across service elements, integration across service sectors, quality of services, social control (a specific democratic process) and municipal responsibility. Key characteristics within public utility services are emphasized in order to contribute to debate, both in Brazil and internationally, on the best way of providing water and sanitation, whether this is public or private. ASSEMAE (National Association of Municipal Services of Water and Sanitation) believes that such services can be provided in a public manner, which involves and guarantees the control and participation by the citizen. 1