To ensure a good water quality supply to the rural community, Guaraniaçu municipality has implemented in 2009 a project to motivate the springs protection, with adoption of soil-cement as a technique.

Since then, approximately 350 properties have been benefited by the project, a total of 400 springs protected up to 2014, an action that has reduced the risk of water scarcity in rural areas.

A - General Information

START: 05/2009 (in progress)

EXECUTING ENTITY: Municipality of Guaraniaçu - Paraná

PARTNERSHIPS: Rural Family Home/Rural Education; Rural Credit Cooperatives System with Solidary Interaction - CRESOL; Milk Cooperative Family Farming With Interaction – COOPLAF

PRESENTED BY: Celis Glavia de Souza 

RESOURCES: Own resources

COST RANGE: Up to USD 5,000.00 (per unit built)

CATEGORY: Project

MAIN THEMATIC AREA: Environment

KEY WORDS: Soil-cement; Water Quality; Water Source Protection; Municipality of Guaraniaçu; Scarcity.

TARGET PUBLIC: Farmers and other residents of rural areas.

GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE: Municipal

SPECIFIC IMPLEMENTATION AREA: Municipality of Guaraniaçu - Paraná

B - Practice Description

1- BACKGROUND

In the Municipality of Guaraniaçu, in the western region of the State of Paraná, almost half of the population resides in rural areas, where much of the drinking water used for human consumption and for the economic activities of the rural properties is collected from artesian wells and springs. In general, the water captured at the source is merely channelled and directed to the main points of use, and is therefore susceptible to contamination. This contamination chiefly occurs when warm-blooded animals near the collection points have access to the exposed and untreated water. When it rains, the faeces of these animals can contaminate the water if the collection point is not properly protected.

Based on regional experiences and the need to ensure and emphasize the importance of good quality drinking water for the rural population in the region, the Municipality of Guaraniaçu implemented a project to support and encourage these farmers and small landowners to protect the water sources and treat the water by using the soil-cement technique. 

2- OVERALL GOAL

Improve the quality of the water used in the farms of the Municipality of Guaraniaçu by protecting the springs with an adequate technique, and provide guidelines on how to treat water to ensure a continuous supply for the local population.

Specific objectives:

• Increase the flow of available water for collection at the source to reduce the risk of shortages in rural areas of the municipality;
• Reduce the risk of contamination and improve the quality of water available for use in the rural properties;
• Increase the environmental quality of the farms by encouraging reforestation;
• Educate the rural population on the benefits of implementing procedures to protect the springs and the continuous treatment of collected water.

3 - ADOPTED SOLUTION

• Soil-cement protection was considered the most appropriate technique to protect the water sources of the municipality. This technique, which is better detailed in the attached file, strictly complies with the springs recover and protection process and is a highly efficient method to improve the quality of water intended for human consumption and guarantee continuous supply;
• Training for the municipal technicians on the application of this technique and guidelines for users regarding system maintenance;
• Widely promote this solution in rural areas, together with local media, to raise awareness on the importance of adopting source protection technique. The partner entities (Rural Family Home/Rural Education; Rural Credit Cooperatives System with Solidary Interaction - CRESOL; Milk Cooperative Family Farming With Interaction – COOPLAF) also help to divulge and encourage regional producers to implement the source protection system, and the municipality provides the technical support when necessary;
• Establish a timeline for the spring protection works based on the demand;
• Execute the works with the supervision of a technician. The interested property owner is responsible for providing the necessary material and the manpower to help build the spring protection system. Students of the Rural Family House also directly help with the works. The technician raises awareness on the importance of reforesting the area surrounding the spring, and on water treatment and maintenance of the system, since the water must be constantly treated for the system to work correctly.

4 - RESULTS

• Approximately 400 protected sources in the rural areas of the Municipality of Guaraniaçu between 2009 to 2014;
• Improved access to water in small rural properties, both for human consumption and for animal consumption. The volume of stored water increased significantly due to greater plant cover;
• Improved environmental quality of the properties due to the reforestation of the areas surrounding the springs;
• Reduced contamination and improved quality of water due to a greater awareness of the need to adequately treat water in accordance with Ordinance 2914/2011 of the Ministry of Health. The work conducted by AMARAL (2013) addresses the water quality indicators of a protected spring before and after treatment, when the water is more suitable for human consumption;
• Once the farmers became aware of the solution and became interested, they sought municipal support to implement the system through the Department of the Environment;

5 - NECESSARY RESOURCES

• Material required for water source protection works (ironstone, cement, virgin soil, sand, water, 100 mm tubes, 32 mm tubes);
• Vehicle;
• Environmental technician;
• Local manpower for executing the works;
• Laboratory water analyses;
• Products for water treatment.

6 - TRANSFER

The project was adopted with great interest in the rural communities of the Municipality of Guaraniaçu, since much of the population was more aware of the importance of maintaining the springs to guarantee a continuous supply of drinking water. The replication of the spring protection technique, mostly due to the success of executed projects and the low cost of implementation, is primarily through "word of mouth" within the actual communities.

It was also observed, through the local process, that neighbouring municipalities had already adopted a similar practice and continued to implement the technique in rural areas. Most of the members of these communities are eager to exchange knowledge in forums, meetings and technical visits. 

7 - LESSONS LEARNED

The practice has been well received by the rural population of the municipality, since access to treated drinking water is not a guaranteed by the public utilities. Thus, protecting the springs is a viable and financially accessible alternative.

It should be noted that it is essential to ensure constant water treatment according to the current laws and the standards of drinking water, and to protect the source for the water to be suitable for human consumption. This is still a challenge that the technicians must face, since many of the people who adopt this process do not regularly treat the water, which makes the system less efficient over time.

8 - ORIGINALITY OF THE PRACTICE

This technique was adopted in Guaraniaçu in view of other work that has been successfully carried out, such as the project of ITAIPU Binacional for the creation of a precursor program in the State of Paraná, called Cultivating Good Water. The aim of this programme is to tackle climate change and other man-made environmental imbalances in the region. One of the features of the programme is the technique of recovery, conservation and maintenance of springs, which directly affects the water that reaches the Paraná river and supplies the Itaipu Hydroelectric Plant.

Another company that is devoted to this practice is the Agroindustrial Cooperative of Cascavel (COOPAVEL). Since 2004, which is also the year that the COOPAVEL/Syngenta Living Water Project was launched, until the year 2012, the cooperative has restored approximately 6,500 springs in Brazil in order to improve the quantity and quality of water that is consumed by rural producers.

The water is treated in accordance with the provisions of Ordinance 2912/2012-MS. that recommends the addition of chlorine. This low cost antibacterial substance eliminates pathogens and offers additional safety when applied in the right dosage. Regular laboratory analyses are also performed to obtain new physicochemical and biological information to assess whether the quality of water has improved.

Scheduled visits are available all year round.

Number of visitors:  Up to 30 people.

Attachments:

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passo a passo.jpg	[ ]	445 kB