How the absence of sanitation in indigenous communities exposes environmental racism in Brazil

Abstract

This article addresses inequalities in access to basic sanitation in Indigenous territories in Brazil, as revealed by data from the 2022 Demographic Census conducted by IBGE, and its connection to environmental racism. The precarious provision of drinking water, sewage systems, and waste management in Indigenous communities reflects a long-standing pattern of institutional neglect and constitutes a contemporary manifestation of environmental racismo, a concept that describes the unequal distribution of environmental impacts among different ethno-racial groups. The objective of this study is to analyze how deficiencies in sanitation in Indigenous territories expose practices of structural and environmental racism, as well as to discuss the social, legal, and environmental implications of this scenario in light of human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The research adopts an interdisciplinary and qualitative approach, grounded in the analysis of secondary data from the 2022 Demographic Census, with a focus on sanitation access indicators in Indigenous territories, particularly in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil. The analysis is guided by critical frameworks in socio-environmental law, human rights, and the theory of environmental racism. The results show that less than 60% of the population living in Indigenous lands has access to piped water, while access to sewage and solid waste collection is even more limited. Regional disparities and the absence of adequate public policies reinforce the persistence of an exclusionary and racist development model. The study concludes that the lack of basic sanitation in Indigenous territories is not merely a technical issue but a systematic violation of human rights, stemming from structural environmental racism that marginalizes these populations. Addressing this situation requires effective public policies, active participation of Indigenous communities, adequate investment, and the strengthening of institutional accountability mechanisms.