The water supply in Belo Horizonte and seven surrounding cities in the Metropolitan Region has been fully restored following a bizarre incident that disrupted service for nearly a million people. The Companhia de Saneamento de Minas Gerais (Copasa) confirmed the complete recovery on Friday, May 8th, after a horse named Amora fell into a major water main earlier in the week.
The disruption began on Wednesday, May 6th, when the horse, being led by its owner, stepped on a manhole cover over a pipeline belonging to the Rio das Velhas System. The cover gave way under the animal's weight, causing it to fall into the pressurized water conduit. The incident occurred in the Paraíso neighborhood on the East Side of Belo Horizonte.
The fall of the horse into the critical infrastructure caused an immediate and widespread interruption of water service. According to Copasa, the incident impacted 715 neighborhoods in the capital and affected approximately half of the population of the Greater Belo Horizonte area, which translates to nearly one million residents. The lack of water disrupted daily life for households, businesses, and institutions, including hospitals and universities like UFMG and Cefet-MG, which implemented water-saving measures.
Emergency teams from Copasa worked to rescue the horse and repair the damaged system. Videos showed the animal being carefully extracted from the pipeline. The company's efforts to stabilize the system and restore pressure across the network took several days, with full service confirmed by the end of the week.
While the main supply is now stable, Copasa noted that some isolated issues may still occur. These are attributed to the extended period the network was depressurized, which can cause valves to stick or require minor pressure adjustments in some final street sections. Residents experiencing any remaining instability are advised to contact Copasa through their website, phone line (0800-030-0115), or WhatsApp (31) 9 9770-7000.
The owner of the horse, Rodrigo Aparecido, explained that he was walking the animal to a local spring for water, a routine activity, when the accident happened. He reported trying to prevent the fall and nearly being pulled in himself before the powerful water current swept the horse into the pipe.
Based on reporting from g1.