President Temer inaugurates works of São Francisco River transposition

President Michel Temer attended today (Jan. 30) the inauguration of the third water pumping station of the São Francisco River integration project, in the town of Floresta, Pernambuco state. As part of the East Axis of the transposition project, it will provide water supply for 60.9 kilometers and should serve about 30,000 people in municipalities of Pernambuco and Paraíba states.

According to the Ministry of National Integration, all physical works of the East Axis have been concluded. In the North Axis, 93.4% of the physical structure is concluded. A new company is being contracted to conclude the works, which were under the responsibility of Mendes Júnior. The construction company is being accused of paying bribes to public agents, and was prohibited in April last year from signing new contracts with the public administration for at least two years. According to the ministry, the contract with the new company is expected to be signed in February this year.

Transposition

The transposition project of the São Francisco River into the semi-arid watersheds of the Northeast region was conceived more than ten years ago aimed at bringing water to 12 million people. The total length of the works is 477 km, divided into two axes (East and North).

A total of nine water pumping stations are expected to be constructed to cover 390 municipalities in the states of Pernambuco, Ceará, Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte, which suffer from drought and face the risk of water depletion due to the drought in the last five years.

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta