Brazil: National River Protection Policy

With the current water crisis and climate change becoming increasingly severe, a new bill could ensure water security for future generations.

Today, Brazil is experiencing the most severe consequences of the climate crisis that directly affect our water. Although the country has a river system that contains 12% of the world’s fresh water, droughts are affecting strategic rivers that are essential for water supply and the maintenance of other ecosystem services. Therefore, there is a need for legislation aimed at effectively protecting Brazil’s most valuable rivers, and not just broad environmental protection measures that are unable to meet specific needs. Bill 2842/2024 was drafted to do just that.

At a public hearing held in Brasília on the 10th of this month (December 2024), the Chamber of Deputies debated Bill 2842/2024. The bill proposes the creation of the National River Protection Policy and the National Service for the Permanent Protection of Rivers (SNRPP), with the aim of recovering and protecting areas made up of rivers or stretches of rivers of high ecological, socio-cultural or socio-economic importance. The bill is still under discussion in the Mining and Energy Committee. It must pass through the Constitution and Justice Committee before going to the Chamber’s plenary session. If approved, it will then go to the Senate. If it becomes law, the proposal could be crucial to ensuring water security for future generations.

Our rivers have reached the point of no return. It’s time to give back to our rivers the enormous benefits and ecosystem services they have provided to humanity and the rest of the planet’s creatures,’ warned International Rivers Brazil‘s director, Flávio Montiel, at the hearing on the bill.

The main objective of the bill is to reconcile the demands of economic growth with the need to protect the forest. In this sense, the proposal provides for a holistic dimension of water, taking into account ecological, environmental, cultural, spiritual and social values, in addition to the financial factor. This new approach is essential to ensure the quality of life of local populations, the sustainable use of water in cities and the possibility of a prosperous future for sectors such as hydropower and agriculture.

During the debate in the Chamber, representatives of the electricity sector present at the discussion expressed some reservations about the project. “We need new plants with reservoirs of all sizes, strategically located around the country. Meteorology has already made predictions about future extreme events, and reservoirs will be fundamental in this process,” said Alessandra Torres, president of the Brazilian Association of Small Hydropower Plants. Such positions have been widely adopted by the energy sector, which is still resisting a proposal that could even benefit it, since it also depends on good water for its success.

The representative of the Tapajós Vivo Movement, Alice de Matos, defended socio-environmental justice and the way of life in the Tapajós basin during the meeting.

“For us, the Tapajós River is our life. We sail on it, we bathe in it, we eat from it and we make our living from it. It is not only a source of food for different peoples, but also a place of spirituality for the indigenous and traditional communities that live here. However, due to the climate crisis and so many other impacts, many rivers, streams and igarapés have stopped flowing, gradually proclaiming the death of the river. Its death means the death of our cultures,”

Alice was born and raised in Santarém on the banks of the Tapajós. The story reflects marginalised realities that are at least heard or consulted in large-scale projects that threaten rivers.

Bill 2842/2024 is an opportunity to fill gaps in the current national water management policy. It’s about ensuring not only water security, but also food and energy security for the country. There are still disagreements between the sectors involved, but the points of convergence are much greater – proof that the proposal is reconcilable and can serve different interests. Even if it’s not so clear to some, we are all on the same side of this journey – our rivers must be our common good.

Source: Globo.com (Brazilian Portuguese)

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