Impact of COVID-19 mild lockdowns on residential water consumption: evidence from Brazil

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the strictness of confinement measures varied widely across regions and countries, potentially influencing household water-use behaviour and leading to different consumption patterns between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. This study investigates changes in residential water consumption in a mid-rise condominium in Goiânia, Brazil, by comparing data from the pre-pandemic and pandemic phases under conditions of a mild lockdown. Monthly water consumption records from 44 apartments were analysed from January 2018 to December 2022 using a multi-method statistical approach. The data were non-normally distributed, with most monthly consumption values ranging between 5 m³ and 25 m³. Fewer outliers were observed during the pandemic, along with a general downward trend in water consumption over time. Comparison of means using the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test suggested potential differences between the two periods; however, these differences were not statistically significant under the adopted significance threshold. The results diverge from patterns commonly reported in the literature. These can be attributed to the specific local context experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, characterised by a short period of effective isolation, resistance to restrictive measures, low adherence to social distancing, and recurrent water scarcity in the region.