Challenges

Brazil’s immense territory is extremely diversified, and water security is a primary concern for the Government’s strategy for social development. Over 22 million people from Brazil’s Northeast live with irregular rainfall and little to no supply of water; child malnutrition, agricultural devastation and livestock losses are some of the main issues faced by such populations. Although the Northeastern region is the area of primary concern in terms of aridness, the central-Western region is also affected by water mismanagement issues because extensive agriculture and livestock demand great quantities of hydric resources.

Toward a Solution

The Itaipu Binacional[1] Cultivating Good Water Programme involved a collection of social and environmental initiatives led by the company but with the assistance of both governments and CSOs to improve the quality of life of local communities, especially those affected by the operations of the hydroelectric dam. Through a wide effort of awareness-raising, information and mobilization, the programme attempted to mitigate the environmental footprints of the dam, securing a water supply for rural communities in the surrounding areas. Among many other points, it emphasized environmental education, infrastructure efficiency, protection of biodiversity, family farming, organic agriculture, agroindustry diversification, sustainable pisciculture and natural-heritage conservation.

The PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT cycle was applied in order for the programme to plan, execute, check/evaluate and act/correct so as to mitigate risks and ensure sustainability. There was a very strong educational action (formal, not formal, diffuse and “educommunication”) alongside the building of a culture of water conservation and sustainable practices. Emphasis was placed on connections of water with climate, society, energy production, food production and the environment. The involvement of communities and institutions was a major part of the methodology: all projects and watersheds had management teams comprised of social actors of the hydrographic basin area. The planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation of actions engaged the people to guarantee the sustainability of the programme.

Today, even though the programme is no longer running, its methodology and concepts are applied in several of the Itaipu social and environmental actions, reflecting a maturation in the management and implementation of actions in the territory, which currently comprises 55 municipalities (54 in West Paraná and one in Mato Grosso do Sul). Between 2003 and 2017, the project achieved many of its development goals, reaching over 29 municipalities and 200 hydrographic microbasins. Itaipu has a partnership with Spain and other Latin American countries to share the methodology with those Governments, promoting triangular and South-South cooperation efforts with countries in the region. While initial projects are being implemented in Guatemala, Itaipu has also partnered with Yacyretá Dam (Argentina and Paraguay Binacional) to help to implement a similar project in Paraguay.

The Itaipu Binacional initiative Cultivating Good Water was awarded the UN-Water “Water for Life” Best Practices Award in Category 1, “Best water management practices”, in 2015. The initiative was also recognized by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with the Earth Charter +5 award. The methodology of the project is already being used in other similar programmes, which emphasizes its sustainable and replicable character, its comprehensive and integrated systemic approach, broad participatory process, citizenship and shared responsibility, involving a very large network of partners in addition to local actors, whether economic, social, political, environmental or cultural.