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São Paulo Government Authorizes Use of Emergency Water Reserves

03/18/2014 - 09h09

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FROM SÃO PAULO

There are growing concerns in the federal government regarding the water supply of São Paulo, with suggestions that the ongoing drought will increase food prices and increase inflation.

According to ministers, President Rousseff is reluctant to blame the situation on São Paulo state governor Geraldo Alckmin. However, Alexandre Padilha - the probable candidate of Rousseff's Workers' Party (PT) for the São Paulo governorship - is already using the crisis against Alckmin.

The deepest water reserve of the Cantareira system - the reserve with the lowest water level in the state - will be used for consumption in Greater São Paulo from July onwards, according to the State Basic Sanitation Company (SABESP, in its Portuguese acronym).

SABESP this week began work will pump water from emergency reserves into the company's treatment plants. As the water level is currently below the Cantareira system's ability to process it, the work is necessary in order to shore up supplies for the São Paulo metropolitan area.

Though these emergency reserves have never before been used, Alckmin has been forced to authorize their use. Recent surveys have confirmed that São Paulo's reservoirs are at the lowest levels since records began. On Tuesday, capacity was measured at just 15%.

However, the decision has been criticized by the PCJ Consortium (an umbrella organization of city governments, industry and other organizations in the Campinas, Piracicaba and Jundiaí region), which argued that 'depending on rainfall and the amount of water used, the system may never completely recover.'

The Cantareira system is considered one of the largest water supplies in the world. In Greater São Paulo alone, it produces 30,000 liters of water a second, supplying 8.8 million people.

As Folha revealed last Friday, a significant part of the state is at risk of water shortages in the future, including the São Paulo metropolitan area, Campinas and Baixada Santista.

If such shortages are to be avoided, the state government will need to provide reserves equivalent to two new Cantareira systems by 2035.

Translated by TOM GATEHOUSE

Read the article in the original language

Jorge Araujo/Folhapress
A significant part of the state is at risk of water shortages in the future, including the São Paulo metropolitan area
A significant part of the state is at risk of water shortages in the future, including the São Paulo metropolitan area

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