Brazil’s Minister of National Integration, Ciro Gomes, says that the São Francisco river diversion project will not put an end to drought in the semi-arid region of Brazil’s Northeast.
But it will alleviate the situation for many people in the backlands of the states of Pernambuco, Paraíba, Ceará, and parts of Piauí.
According to the Minister, the project will provide 1,500 cubic meters of water per inhabitant per year in the area. That will resolve the water shortage for around 45% of the population.
Gomes also pointed out that the government headed off land speculation by expropriating an area of 2.5 kilometers on each side of the project’s water-carrying canals. The land is to be used for land reform and family farming.
ABr