BR AF for the Federal Water Resources Management Project

Promote rational and sustainable use and participatory management of water resources in Brazil in general, and in the Northeast in particular. The project, which complements other Bank-supported initiatives in the water sector including those in Northeastern states of Bahia and Ceará, would help establish Federal and State regulatory and institutional frameworks. Once in place these changes would help formulate and implement efficient and sustainable water resources management policies and plans by: (i) strengthening relevant federal and state institutions; (ii) decentralizing water resources management to river basin committees and local water user associations (WUAs); (iii) developing mechanisms and institutional arrangements to promote efficient use of resource, allocation and enforcement of water use rights; and (iv) setting up a well-coordinated monitoring and evaluation system to track project performance and assessment of its impact on beneficiaries.Provide reliable and sustainable access to water for domestic, municipal, and other uses in priority river basins in the Northeast, by: (i) supporting the construction and/or installation of storage/conveyance structures and distribution networks to optimize the storage, delivery, and use of water supplies within selected areas with high concentration of poor rural households; and (ii) establishing sustainable administration, operation and maintenance (A, O&M) systems for water supply infrastructure, including sound and efficient cost-recovery mechanisms. Project-financed infrastructure investments in bulk water supply, by ensuring an increased year-round water supply for human consumption and productive purposes, would provide sustainable and reliable supplies of water to rural and semi-urban populations of the Northeast, and reduce the vulnerability of this region's economy, to cyclical and prolonged droughts. This would lead to significant improvements in the standards of living, health and sanitation of beneficiary populations, and would enhance local employment opportunities.With the creation of the National Water Agency (ANA) in December 2000, the project has also supported the consolidation of ANA and its institutional strengthening as one of its main objectives.