By Georges Almeida and Guilherme Issa
AEGEA stands as Brazil's largest private sanitation company, operating at the forefront of one of the nation's most critical infrastructure challenges. With a presence spanning 15 states and serving over 38 million consumers across 850+ cities, the company has established itself as the cornerstone of Brazil's sanitation privatization efforts. Through 370+ long-term contracts and public-private partnerships—AEGEA delivers essential water services to underserved communities – serving as a vital partner in addressing Brazil's infrastructure deficit and advancing national development goals.
In a country where 33 million lack water access and 80 million live without sewage treatment, Brazil's 2020 New Legal Framework for Sanitation set an ambitious goal: 99% water coverage and 90% treated sewage by 2033. However, hitting those targets means overcoming a USD 104 billion investment gap over eight years. At current investment rates, universalization wouldn't occur until 2055, creating a 22-year delay that would perpetuate public health crises and economic opportunity loss. With 159 major projects in the national pipeline, private sector leadership became essential to bridging this gap.
For AEGEA, this context shaped one of the most complex undertakings in Brazilian sanitation history: assuming responsibility for water and sewage services across 126 municipalities in Pará, one of the country’s most underserved states.
This challenge was significant for a number of reasons:
Located near Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, Pará faces critical sanitation deficits affecting millions of residents. The scope required USD 3 billion in investments and coordination of over 300 engineering works across geographically dispersed locations. AEGEA needed to manage 12 workstreams and 126 municipality takeovers, each with varying levels of infrastructure readiness and political dynamics.
Typically, taking over municipal water services takes six months. But Belém — the host city for COP30 — along with Ananindeua and Marituba needed to be operational in just 1.5 months. These three cities alone serve 60% of the project's population, making rapid mobilization a high-stakes imperative with no margin for error.
With the world watching Brazil's preparations for COP30, this project became more than infrastructure — it became a demonstration of Brazil's commitment to sustainable development. AEGEA needed to deliver not just functional systems, but proof that transformative change was possible.
" …Roland Berger's support was crucial in turning this complex undertaking into a model for how public-private partnerships can drive both economic growth and social progress in Brazil. "
To navigate this complexity, AEGEA turned to Roland Berger’s team of dedicated water industry experts to develop a customized Program Management Office (PMO) project for workstream coordination, risk management and mitigation, and strategic advisory support.
The team aligned all 12 workstreams and their interdependencies, ensuring that infrastructure development, regulatory compliance, community engagement, and operational readiness across the municipalities moved in lockstep rather than creating bottlenecks.
The PMO also incorporated AI-powered risk tracking through the Palantir platform. A comprehensive Risk Matrix assessed every major decision point by probability and impact, enabling proactive mitigation. Built-in reporting dashboards gave client teams immediate access to performance data, while KPI-linked governance tied tracking to incentives and measurable outcomes. Weekly Task Forces addressed project-specific challenges, while multidisciplinary Working Groups tackled cross-cutting topics through a structured 100-Day Plan.
A hands-on engagement model — including weekly on-site presence despite four-hour flights in and out of Para state — demonstrated commitment to ground-level execution and community impact. This maintained the PMO's centrality to decision-making and ensured consulting support remained responsive to evolving realities.
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AEGEA's Pará project has already proven transformative for the local populations. By 2031, water coverage will reach 86% — up from just 55% in 2025. For hundreds of thousands of families, this means turning on a tap and knowing the water is safe to drink. Sewage coverage will jump from 9% to 49% — a change that will prevent countless cases of waterborne illness and give children the healthy start they deserve.
Beyond the pipes and treatment plants, this project is creating over 42,000 new full-time jobs — real employment for real families across Pará state. Cleaner rivers and improved living conditions are already beginning to attract visitors, with tourism and state reputation gains projected at USD 44 million yearly.
“Better sanitation means fewer people falling ill, which translates to USD 15 million in annual healthcare savings. These aren't just economic indicators — they represent communities becoming healthier, safer, and more prosperous,” said Guilherme Issa, Project Manager, Roland Berger.
AEGEA successfully mobilized operations across all 126 municipalities, achieving the compressed 1.5-month timeline in the critical COP30 cities — delivering in one-quarter of the standard timeframe. Working alongside over 100 AEGEA professionals on site, the Roland Berger team established governance structures that enabled the rapid deployment of more than 2,000 operational staff. The robust monitoring system provided continuous visibility, allowing for swift course corrections when needed.
" Better sanitation means fewer people falling ill, which translates to USD 15 million in annual healthcare savings. These aren't just economic indicators — they represent communities becoming healthier, safer, and more prosperous. "
This project directly advances Brazil's COP30 commitments in host city Belém, demonstrating that large-scale infrastructure transformation is achievable. More importantly, it's laying the foundation for sustainable sanitation access for more than 5 million people across Pará state. The initiative helps accelerate Brazil's timeline by 23 years — from the previous 2055 trajectory to the 2033 framework goal.
“The results prove that when analog human commitment meets advanced technology, Brazil's sanitation universalization goals are within reach. And for the millions of people in Pará who will soon have access to clean water and proper sewage treatment, that timeline matters profoundly,” added Issa.
“Roland Berger’s approach provided the governance structure and visibility we needed to mobilize over 2,000 professionals and launch operations in record time. This wasn't just about meeting deadlines; it was about ensuring we could deliver sustainable infrastructure that will transform the lives of five million people while creating over 42,000 jobs across the region. Roland Berger's support was crucial in turning this complex undertaking into a model for how public-private partnerships can drive both economic growth and social progress in Brazil,” said André Facó, CEO of Águas do Pará, AEGEA.
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