Good morning! The government is seeking to avoid water shortages by altering streamflows in hydroelectric reservoirs. Brazilian agro gets nervous about COP26 commitments. A court in São Paulo makes landmark decision on nonbinary rights.
Controlling reservoirs’ taps
Earlier this year, as fears of power shortages loomed large, the government adopted measures increasing the streamflow of hydroelectric reservoirs for enhanced production. Now, as the rainy season begins, the National Water Agency (ANA) is kicking off a contingency plan to reduce consumption in several dams — thus avoiding a water shortage.
The move. ANA’s decision will take effect in December, running until the beginning of the dry season in April. It will apply to seven hydroelectric stations with “regularization reservoirs,” which are capable of storing large volumes of water and supplying smaller dams.
- The water-saving measure to fill reservoirs comes as the government’s power rationing crisis committee is set to disband.
- Its activities could actually end as early as Sunday unless Congress approves President Jair Bolsonaro’s provisional decree creating it in the first place, before it expires on November 7.
Why it matters. The move could make Brazil even more dependent on thermal power stations, which are more expensive (and polluting) to...