TERRITORIALIZED PLAN FOR WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
(CARAPITANGA WATERS)
The participatory governance process in the management of water bodies in a river basin involves several stages, including diagnosis, social mapping, agreement and planning. This process involves associations of residents and producers, the government in its various instances, the water and sewage concessionaire, and OTSS researchers. Together, they analyze the situation of the water bodies, identifying solutions for the rational use of water resources, the recovery of riparian forests, and the prevention and/or mitigation of disasters. These actions have a positive impact on the river basin and its use values, promoting sustainability and environmental resilience.
PROBLEM SOLVED
Between 2013 and 2015, the southeast region of Brazil faced the worst drought in history. Although the impact was more intense in large metropolitan regions and urban areas of municipalities, the event also had drastic effects on agricultural and peri-urban areas, significantly affecting traditional communities located in the OTSS area of action. The Carapitanga River is the main water source for fourteen caiçara, peri-urban, rural, indigenous (two) and quilombola (one) communities, totaling around 3,000 inhabitants. Its role in the reproduction of the traditional way of life is central, providing water for human and domestic consumption, in addition to sustaining the fauna and flora of this region of Bocaina. During the most critical period of the drought, residents of Quilombo do Campinho and other communities located in the Carapitanga River basin faced water stress for the first time, with a decrease in the flow of springs and intermittent water shortages in homes. According to reports from residents, whose communities have been in the region for more than three centuries, this situation had never been seen before.
This context led researchers from OTSS, UFRJ, UFF, together with associations and residents of traditional and peri-urban communities, to question and seek solutions to try to equalize the situation. The collaboration between these entities aimed to find strategies to mitigate the effects of the drought and ensure the water sustainability of the affected communities.
SOLUTION ADOPTED
Strategic planning, participatory mapping, georeferencing, dissemination of geoinformation (publicly accessible online map) and monitoring of the defined actions and their results were implemented. An inventory of neighborhoods and/or locations was carried out based on their geographic position and the physical characteristics of the landscape, dividing the basin into three sections: Upper, Middle and Lower Carapitanga. The communities were organized into mapping workshops according to their location in each of the three previously defined sections, allowing nearby communities to carry out the mapping together. The elements to be researched and the symbols to be used were defined, delimiting the theme of the workshops. The mobilization of the communities was carried out through the articulation of the FCT with residents' associations and community leaders, ensuring broad popular representation during the activity. All previously identified locations were represented. In the workshops, each proposed element was debated and located in the territory using satellite images from Google Earth. A point was added for each recorded occurrence. In addition to spatial information, questions were raised about the characteristics of each point in the legend, collecting a series of data and information. For example, for each water collection site indicated, data were collected about the situation of the collection, those responsible, disputes over the site, communities and number of people supplied, among others.
For each section (Upper, Middle and Lower Carapitanga), water collection points for residential and commercial supply, conflicts over water use, sections where the river receives sewage loads, areas with disorderly occupation and expansion, flooding and landslide points, communities with low access to water supply, as well as existing actions, initiatives and projects that contribute to the health of the river and its riverside population were mapped.
At the end of the workshops, the geospatial data produced by the three groups were gathered in a single file. This data was presented, debated, improved, agreed upon and validated in a plenary session. Next, the strategies needed to implement an agenda of solutions and address the mapped problems were discussed.
To develop the Integrated Action Plan for the Management of the Carapitanga River Basin and to design management mechanisms for this plan, four groups worked with the following focuses: mobilization and management, water supply, sewage and river monitoring, and disaster prevention. In the final plenary session, the strategies and actions were presented, improved, and agreed upon by representatives of the communities, government agencies (City Hall, Conservation Units, Funai, Incra, and the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office), and partner institutions. This process resulted in the development of the Action Plan and the identification of an emergency agenda.
RESULT ACHIEVED
In total, 173 points were mapped along the basin in nine legends: Agricultural areas (14 points); Flood areas (11); Project or action areas (13); Regeneration/reforestation/agroforestry areas (10); Degraded areas (5); Tourist areas (6); Water intakes (38); Conflicts over water use (8); Waste disposal points (7); Equipment for related projects (2); Erosion of banks and slopes (3); Schools (2); Areas with water shortages (3); Sewage discharge points (12); Springs (11); Burning areas (2); Growth vectors or expansion areas (4); Others (22). As mentioned, the characteristics of each of these points were described in detail in the workshop, and this data was also tabulated and consolidated. The data was also published on digital maps for distribution, three with points separated by sections of the basin and one summary with all points and the total area. A digital file was also created in kmz format, which allows for an interactive experience, where the user can navigate through the points and access their respective tabular information. Finally, an interactive online map was published on the internet, which allows the data to be consulted in several ways.
The results of the work were compiled into an action plan, designed to implement concrete measures to improve the waters of the Carapitanga. These actions involve mobilizing communities and competent public agencies, implementing residential sanitation technologies, mapping springs and water collection points, monitoring water quality at different points along the river, installing stations capable of measuring rainfall and river and stream flow, expanding areas of agroforestry systems that produce healthy food, recover riparian forests and the hydrological functions of forests, among other actions and commitments made by participants and their representative institutions.
At the end, workshop participants signed a public manifesto entitled “Carta do Carapitanga”, which calls on all spheres of government and society to implement actions that aim to make the Carapitanga River once again a reference in the supply of quality water and a space for learning about traditional culture, knowledge and practices for present and future generations, demonstrating the sustainability of the traditional way of life and contributing to the equity and autonomy of their communities.
Another important result was the definition of the governance and strategic management space of the plan, for ongoing monitoring and evaluation, aiming at the effectiveness of the strategies. It was agreed that this governance and strategic management body of the plan would be the Thematic Chamber of Water Management of the Cairuçu APA Management Council, a body with themes similar to the issues to be addressed, related to the management of Carapitanga.