Sanitation is important for all because it contributes to maintaining health and increasing life expectancy. It is especially important for children. According to UNICEF, each day over 800 children under age five die from preventable diarrhea-related diseases caused by lack of clean water, sanitation and poor hygiene. Even if children survive, diarrhea cause them to lose appetites and suffer from malnourishment. Lack of sanitation cause one in every four children suffer from stunted growth worldwide. As for Brazil, 39% of all schools lack basic hand-washing infrastructure. The state of São Paulo has 1.7 million people without access to sewage and drinking water, and 4.6 million individuals who do not have access to sewage collection services.
 
SABESP provides environmental sanitation services in 375 municipalities in the state of Sao Paulo. For two other municipalities São Caetano do Sul and Mogi das Cruzes, SABESP supplies treated water and sewage treatment services on a wholesale basis. SABESP accounts for 30% of the investment made in basic sanitation in Brazil. It is among the largest sanitation companies in the world in number of customers served. By expanding sanitation infrastructure and increasing water supply security, SABESP brings direct and immediate benefits to people with more quality of life and health to its 28.5 million customers. SABESP applies lower tariff to low-income households and shantytown residents. The company plays a vital role in preserving and de-polluting water resources and continuously improves its water losses rate.