JICA to Fund Brazilian Reservoir Clean-up Project

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will give $62.5m to Brazil’s Sao Paulo state water utility Sabesp to clean up the Billings reservoir near Sao Bernardo do Campo.

The investments will be used to install 100km of pipeline, 30km of trunk sewers and 72 pumping stations to clean up the reservoir, which has been contaminated by untreated sewage dumping.

The Brazilian water utility will provide another $62.5m to the project.

Work will begin in 2011 and be complete in 2015, benefiting five million Sao Paulo residents.