Brazil kicks off national water management program Progestão

Brazil's environment ministry and national water authority ANA have kicked off national water management program Progestão, according to a federal government release. Progestão is an incentives-based program aimed at achieving more balanced water supply throughout the country. Although Brazil's eight principal water basins hold some 12% of the world's fresh water, this valuable resource is very unevenly distributed. While approximately 70% of the water is in the Amazon basin in the north of the country, the country's northeast region contains less than 5% of water resources. To encourage proper management between states, ANA is planning to invest a total of 100mn reais (about US$50mn) over the next five years in states participating in the program. Joining Progestão is voluntary, the release said. Each participating state will need to set goals which will be evaluated by state water resources councils. ANA disbursements will be granted as targets are met. Progestão is also aimed at improving the coordination efforts between national water resources management system Singreh and state water resources management system Segrehs. Some examples of ideal goals to set include updating river monitoring systems, improving water user registrations, developing studies and plans for basins, among others, according to the release.