ECOWATER TECHNOLOGIES LTDA

The Hydrographic Region of Paraguay includes one of the largest continuous wetlands of the planet, the Pantanal, considered National Patrimony by Federal Constitution of 1988 and Biosphere Reserve by Unesco in the year 2000.

The Paraguay River is born in Brazilian territory and its hydrographic region covers an area of ​​1,095,000 km², with 33% in Brazil (363,446 km²) and the rest in Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay.

About 2.2 million people lived in the region in 2010, equivalent to 1.1% of Brazil's population, 87% of which in urban areas. The cities of Cuiabá (MT) had 551 thousand inhabitants, followed by Várzea Grande (MT) with 253 thousand, Rondonópolis (MT), with 195 thousand, Corumbá (MS) with 104 thousand and Cáceres (MT) with 88 thousand inhabitants, representing the main population centers.

In the Hydrographic Region of Paraguay, the presence of Cerrado and Pantanal is observed, as well as transition zones between these two biomes. The predominant vegetation is the Savannah Arborizada (Cerrado) and the Savanna Florestada (Cerradão).

With regard to basic sanitation indicators, 93% of the population in the river basin district was supplied with water, in 2010, a percentage similar to the national average value of 91%. The percentage of the population of the hydrographic district with sewage network was 29%, well below the national percentage. Concerning treated sewage, the region had a percentage of 19%, below the national average (30%).

Since the 1970s, the expansion of livestock and soybeans in areas of the Plateau has increased deforestation and erosion. Due to the fact that several rivers in the region, such as Taquari and São Lourenço, have a high sediment transport capacity, sediment deposition has increased in the Pantanal and consequent sedimentation of rivers located in lower altitude regions.