The Research and Action Group on Conflicts, Risks and Impacts Associated with Dams (CRIAB) from Unicamp, after starting activities in 2019 aimed at the collapse of the Brumadinho dam (MG), it is now also focusing on the Campinas region (SP). By strengthening ties with the Popular Nature Forum (FPN), the group has been strengthening the discussion about the Pedreira and Sousas dams, through the creation of the Nucleus PCJ, aimed at the Hydrographic Basin of the Piracicaba, Capivari, Jundiaí rivers.
Unlike the Brumadinho dam, built to store waste resulting from mining processes, the Pedreira and Sousas dams are water dams. Talita Gantus de Oliveira, a doctoral student at Unicamp's Institute of Geosciences (IG) and member of CRIAB, analyzes that the group is concerned not only with a possible rupture, which would be catastrophic due to its proximity to the population, but also with the psychosocial disorders that the The presence of a large dam can mean that residents will live permanently with the imminence of a disaster. “The problem with the water dam is not simply breaking, but any inadequate operation of a dam that stores thousands of cubic meters of water could flood the entire city together with the population”, he states.
However, this is not the only thing at stake. In the case of the Pedreira dam, the researcher points out that there is a gap in relation to the population that would be supplied by water. “The location study to carry out the works was prepared in 2008, aiming to increase water availability upstream (above) the surface water collection point. If you don't put a work pipeline, which is like a hydraulic pump to release water from the dam to the population above, with a difference in level near 200 meters, the water doesn't reach. If the water is not enough for the population, what is the need for the dam?” asks Talita.
In the case of Sousas, the group indicates that the dam is about to be built in an Environmental Protection Area (APA), which protects part of the remaining native vegetation in the municipality. The APA would cease to exist to make way for the bus. In this process, part of the forest that protects 2.474 springs would be cut down. “A smaller area of forest implies a lower recharge of the aquifer, which puts the springs in a vulnerable situation. Furthermore, the APA is home to an enormous biodiversity of fauna and flora, there are 250 species of birds, 68 of mammals, 45 of amphibians and 40 of reptiles.”
FPN member and PhD student in Applied Ecology at the University of São Paulo (USP), Isabela Kojin Peres, also indicates that in the debate about water, it is necessary to take into account the entire hydrological cycle, which includes the preservation of forests. “When we think about water we need to think about the hydrological cycle, including the relationship between water and the forest. In Campinas we only have 2,6% of vegetation cover and part of the forest is in this forest that they are destroying for speculative interest in the land. And this logic is what also happens in Brazil at a macro level,” she says.
For her, it is necessary to see water not only as a supply resource. Therefore, Isabela points out that integrated water management is necessary, since, in addition to risk impacts, large projects such as dams bring socio-environmental and ecological impacts that are often not taken into account.
Publication addresses alternatives to dams
The conflicts are socio-environmentalists involved in the construction of water dams were the subject of a magazine prepared in partnership between a_Ponte, a non-governmental organization whose focus is on mediating conflicts arising from space management and the management of natural resources, and the FPN. The edition, launched this Monday (31), addresses topics such as the right to water, water insecurity and the importance of urban forests, in addition to explaining the context behind these projects. “We must take into account that we need to think about ecologically balanced and sustainable alternatives, for the good of the planet and future generations. Numerous scientists around the world warn about the consequences of climate change. Forests contribute to carbon capture and microclimate regulation, even making cities more breathable”, adds Talita. Visit here.
The discussion includes alternatives sustainable as opposed to dams that, for Isabela, could focus on reforestation and restoration, protecting springs and riparian forests. “This would also increase the amount of surface water available and increase water quality. We could still invest in agroforestry, in food production associated with this restoration, guaranteeing food and permanence for farming families”, he analyzes.
The researchers highlight that both CRIAB and the PCJ Center and the Popular Nature Forum They are collective, transdisciplinary spaces open to participation. If you are interested in participating, you can contact Talita via email tgantus@gmail.com.
