Three proposals for solving the water supply in São Paulo (1902-1904)

Abstract

During the first two decades of the 20th century, the city of SãoPaulo still faced many problems in its efforts to supply water toits population. The large investments carried out to improve thesanitation infrastructure and to implement water and sewagenetworks ??since the first years of Empire fell short of meetingthe pressing needs of a city that had grown and diversifiedeconomically with the expansion of commercial and industrialactivities. The building of the water supply system in the city byCompanhia Cantareira e Esgotos, hired in 1875 by the provincialgovernment of São Paulo, faced many hurdles, resulting in thecancellation of the contract in the early years of the FirstRepublic, following a stormy crisis managed by the State PublicWorks Superintendents, which took over the installation of thesenetworks after 1892. By the end of the First Republic, there hadbeen many attempts to solve the serious problems with the citywater supply. Between 1902 and 1904, three proposals for thewater distribution in São Paulo were submitted to the stategovernment in reaction to the serious supply crisis caused bydrought and the gradual increase in the urban population. Thispaper presents each of these three proposals to show not only thedifferent views and solutions on the organization of the urbansanitation system but also the relationship between urbandevelopment and its fruition through state intervention, acharacteristic already present at that time.