São Paulo state to incentivize local development of drainage projects

São Paulo state seeks to encourage local administrations to develop drainage projects to address the increasing frequency of heavy rains and floods.

Cities will have access to 64mn reais (US$11mn) from state water resources fund Fehidro to finance basic and executive projects related to drainage infrastructure.

"We need to plan cities for the future. We want every municipality to have a drainage plan. To do this, we will encourage mayors to create or update their drainage plans, taking into account not only the characteristics of the city but also the river basins of the regions where they are located," governor Tarcísio de Freitas said in a statement.

In April and May last year, torrential rains in Rio Grande do Sul caused unprecedented flooding, affecting nearly the entire state. Given the increasing frequency of such events, infrastructure analysts expect rising public investments in mitigation projects.