Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AND
MANAGEMENT IN THE PLATA RIVER BASIN
B.P.F. BragaDirector, National Water Agency of Brazil
C. Tucci
Professor, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
2nd International Symposium on Transboundary Water Management
Tucson, AZ - USA
Nov 16-19, 2004
COUNTRY BASIN AREA
KM2x10-6 %
Argentina 920 29.7
Bolivia 205 6.6
Brazil 1.415 45.7
Paraguay 410 13.2
Uruguay 150 4.8
Total 3.100 100.0
• Population : 100 million
• 70% of GNP of countries
Paraguay
downstream of
PantanalParaguay in
Caceres
Uruguay
Parana upstream
Parana at
Paraguay junction
Parana
downstream
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
0 500 1000 1500 2000
Basin area, 1000 km2
meanflowm3/s
Paraguay
downstream of
PantanalParaguay in
Caceres
Uruguay
Parana upstream
Parana at
Paraguay junction
Parana
downstream
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
0 500 1000 1500 2000
Basin area, 1000 km2
meanflowm3/s
LOWER PARANA
LOWER PARAGUAY
UPPER PARAGUAYUPPER PARANA
UPPER URUGUAY
LOWER URUGUAY
PLATA
Upper Paraguay
PLATEAU:
~ 260,000 Km2)
PANTANAL
~140,000 Km2)
Mining and agriculture
Agricultue and cattle
Flooding
Navigation
Ecologically sensitive area
Flood Season
• 50 to 60 % of the water and sediment retained in the plains;
• Low percolation and high evapotranspiration
• Nutrients for aquatic life preservation
Dry Season
• Retained water used to keep aquatic biota that serve as food for abundant waterfowl
• Intensive cattle ranching
• ecotourism
CATTLE RANCH
Ecotourism
Farm in the rivers side Pantanal and Planalto
Pantanal
Fauna
UPPER PARAGUAY
• Plateau and Pantanal• Flows reduce downstream due to storage in
Pantanal wetlands• Untreated effluents discharged in rivers and
creeks by cities • Intensive agriculture and cattle raising
together with mining – erosion in plateau and sedimentation in Pantanal (“arrombados”)
• New soybean frontier and navigation needs• Ecotourism and sports fishing
LOWER PARAGUAY
• Navigation in the Paraguay river up to Caceres
• River floods posing risk to important cities including capital city Assuncion
• Untreated urban effluents discharges in rivers and creeks
• Erosion and river bed instability in Bermejo and Pilcomayo
• Headwaters contamination due to mining • Biodiversity conservation in Chaco wetlands• Irrigation in arid and semi-arid areas
Water Quality and Solid Waste
Risk areas and obstructions
São Paulo under water
UPPER PARANA• Urban drainage and sanitation • Navigation in Tiete and Parana• Large number of hydropower plants (67% of
the Brazilian installed capacity)• Intensive agriculture with possible alteration
of hydrologic cycle• Water use conflicts (navigation x
hydropower)
LOWER PARANA• Navigation Paraguay - Parana• River floods with natural flood plains rich in
biodiversity • Important wetlands subject to impacts due to
water use for agriculture, energy and dilution of domestic effluents
• Balancing impacts of hydropower in the environment and society (resettlements)
• Erosion and intense agriculture; fertilizers and pesticides with impact in the aquatic system
• Flood plain management
UPPER URUGUAY
• Nonpoint pollution from pig and poultry industry in west Santa Catarina and Rio Grande State
• Urban sewage from cities in the Peixe River• Need of flow regulation for sustainable water
use• Annual crops (soybeans, wheat and corn)
producing high erosion rates• Conflict between water supply and irrigation in
Ibicui and Quarai • River floods in several cities• High installed hydropower with three large
hydro
LOWER URUGUAY• Navigation from Plata river up to the base
of Salto hydropower plant• River floods in cities near to the Uruguay
river and tributaries• Hydropower plants in the Uruguay and
Negro rivers • Irrigation in the headwaters near to the
border with Brazil • River bank erosion due to water level
fluctuations in the Salto hydropower plant reservoir
PLATA RIVER• Navigation and fluvial port activities• Flooding to due high urbanization and
consequent soil imperviousness • Soil erosion and water contamination
by agriculture activities • Estuary contamination by domestic,
industrial and nonpoint effluents
POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY
• Long time independence from European colonizers - Latin American union
• Plata river major gateway to South America interior lands - Mercosul River
• Location of countries upstream and downstream depending on sub-basin consideration
TRANSBOUNDARY WATER POLICY
• 19th century’s agreements on navigation freedom
• 1969 Plata Basin Treaty
• 1968 Intergovernmental Committee of the Plata Basin - CIC
• Driving forces: development, integration, water management and environmental conservation
• 1967 Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Conference
TRANSBOUNDARY WATER POLICY
• Plata Basin Treaty of 1969 (cont.)
• Promote navigation
• Equitable multiple use of water resources
• Preservation of Aquactic Flora and Fauna
• Promote common projects on survey, assessment and utilization of basin water resources
TRANSBOUNDARY WATER POLICY
• 1973 Asuncion Agreement
• In boundary contiguous rivers, where the sovereignty is shared, any water use must be preceded by a bilateral agreement between the riparians
• In successive transboundary rivers, where riparians do not share their sovereignty any state can use its waters according to its own needs, provided the uses do not cause appreciable harm to another river basin state
TRANSBOUNDARY WATER POLICY
• 1976 FUNPLATA
• National and international funds raised with co-responsibility of basin countries to support studies and projects
• Hydrologic forecasting system and water quality monitoring
Multilateral Agreements C ountries Involved
Studies for Water Development of the Paraná River – 1971
Argentina and Paraguay
Salto Grande Technical Commission, 1972 Argentina e
Uruguay
Yaciretá Agreement, 1973 Argentina and Paraguay
Itaipu Binacional Agreement, 1973 Brazil e Paraguay
Three party Agreement on Corpus and Itaipu, 1979
Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay
Garabi Agreement, 1980 Argentina and Brazil
Tri-national Commission for the Bermejo River, 1995
Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay
ITAIPU HYDROPOWER PLANT
URGENT NEEDS TO IMPROVE TRANSBOUNDARY WATER
MANAGEMENT
• Development of national water laws under a minimum regional regulatory framework
• Strengthening national institutions for water management
• Regional water resources management information system (monitoring supply and estimating demands for different uses)– Improving monitoring networks of countries with low
density – Creation of a regional geo-referenced data base with a
common interface for data sharing
Country Hidrometeorology
River stage
Sediment
Water Quality
Argentina
115 174 16 13
Bolivia NA NA NA NA
Brazil 826 521 163 163
Paraguay 119 85 NA NA
Uruguay NA 82 NA NA
URGENT NEEDS TO IMPROVE TRANSBOUNDARY WATER
MANAGEMENT
• Quantify agriculture sediment yield in critical areas through adequate sampling and propose mitigation measures when needed – pilot projects
• Improve navigation in Paraguay river downstream of Corumbá (multi modal systems)
• Open discussion on navigation in the Paraguay river upstream of Corumba up to the city of Caceres Regional water resources
Navigation
Paraná-Paraguay waterway:
• critical reach is Corumbá-Caceres shallow waters during drought years
• existing studies used fixed bed model with hydrologic data from the 70’s onwards
• reach Corumba-Buenos-Aires presents no problem for navigation
Navigation
Navigation and port for agriculture products
URGENT NEEDS TO IMPROVE TRANSBOUNDARY WATER
MANAGEMENT
• Development of a program to increase sustainable fish production with job generation and conservation of fish species
• Ecotourism industry can provide means to improve the quality of life of local communities
• Flood zoning and flood forecasting using modern technology (satellite, radar and telemetry) available in the region
• Assessment of the impact of climate variability in the hydropower production in the basin
CONCLUSIONS
• Unique geographical location and historical background facilitated the cooperation among basin countries
• Common economic development needs and bi and tri-lateral agreements among basin countries
• Navigation and food production are the predominant future basin water uses - national regulatory agencies should play important role in sustainable use
• Strengthening national water resources management institutions in basin countries and CIC is fundamental for the sustainable development of the Plata River basin
