In a bizarre and disruptive incident, a horse that fell into a critical water main in Belo Horizonte has been successfully rescued, paving the way for the restoration of water service to a vast portion of the metropolitan area. The animal's fall into the São Lucas Sul pipeline in the Taquaril neighborhood caused a major interruption in the Rio das Velhas System, leaving over 700 neighborhoods and seven surrounding cities without water.
The rescue was captured on video by Copasa's technical team, who located the horse early Wednesday morning after an extensive search. A technician narrating the footage confirmed the find at 5:23 AM, stating the animal was indeed inside the 700-millimeter valve leading to the São Lucas Sul reservoir. Following the discovery, the team immediately began the complex process of extraction and initiated a rigorous cleaning protocol.
The incident triggered a widespread water outage affecting not only Belo Horizonte but also the municipalities of Contagem, Nova Lima, Raposos, Ribeirão das Neves, Sabará, Santa Luzia, and Vespasiano. Initial reports suggest the horse may have fallen into the pipeline in the Paraíso neighborhood, impacting one of the main structures of the high-pressure system that feeds the water treatment plant.
With the horse now safely removed, Copasa has moved to the critical phase of ensuring water safety. The company confirmed that all water in the affected section of the pipeline has been completely discarded and will not be used for consumption. A comprehensive sanitation and chemical disinfection process for the entire network has been launched, followed by meticulous laboratory testing to validate all potability parameters.
The water treatment plant will only resume pumping once the water supply is confirmed to meet all safety standards. In the interim, priority service to hospitals and health units is being maintained through water tanker trucks. Copasa has assured the public that no abnormalities in water quality have been detected so far, but the full normalization of service depends on the successful completion of the cleaning and testing procedures.
The utility company projects that the system will be brought back online later on Wednesday, with service gradually returning to normal throughout the day. The event highlights the vulnerability of critical urban infrastructure to unexpected incidents and the complex, multi-step response required to restore essential services safely.
Based on reporting from g1.