Water Characteristics of Brazil: The Need for Local Action

Throughout the world Brazil is seen as a water country, sometimes even as a water giant, be it for its almost exclusive control of the Amazon River or for its magnificent Igua.u falls in the south of the country. Nevertheless, although on the macro level water resources do not seem to be of any constraint for any sector, Brazil is confronted with specific water related problems. The identifi cation and explanation of some of the most relevant ones for water supply matters is given in this article with both, on the one hand special emphasis on intercountry comparison and on the other focusing on fi rst hand experience with the example of the Brazilian province of Minas Gerais. This contribution is based on preliminary fi eld and desktop studies for the project "Conception and Introduction of Decentralized, Mobile Drinking Water Treatment Units in Brazil" undertaken by the Grünbeck Wasseraufbereitung GmbH and the Department of Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management, Institute of Hydro Sciences, University of the Federal Armed Forces Munich. Technical and local support to the project is given by the Dr. Kraetzig Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH, Aachen, Germany. The project is co-financed by the Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG) with means from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The article "Decentralised Solution to Secure Drinking Water Supply in Remote Brazil" describing the project is part of this gwf issue.