Abstract
In order to face the severe climate conditions in semiarid regions, many managed aquifer recharge (MAR) and rainwater storage systems have been implemented by local communities. Governmental programs have helped to propagate the concept of MAR. Based on a systematic review, popular initiatives, current legislation, and research lines and programs were compiled and analyzed. Although the MAR global inventory points to the prevalence of in-channel modifications among ninety MAR sites, the Barraginhas Project alone has been responsible for the construction of more than 500,000 infiltration ponds up to 2013. In urban areas, aquifer recharge initiatives mostly aim to reduce runoff peak flows. In some cases these initiatives have been stimulated by urban drainage public policies. Compared to countries such as the USA and Australia, Brazil is still at an early stage in MAR initiatives and needs to overcome technical, legal, and socio-cultural challenges to adopt MAR approaches, in order to help in facing water security challenges in a future climate change scenario. This article aims to provide an overview of the state of the art concerning technological, scientific, and legal issues around MAR in Brazil and the respective challenges for the adoption of this approach at a national level.
Highlights
This paper aims to provide an overview of the current use of managed aquifer recharge (MAR), and the potential and challenges of the adoption of MAR in Brazil, by surveying practices adopted to mitigate the effects of droughts, relevant research, and current policy and legal frameworks
The semiarid region of Brazil and big cities have been identified as the main areas that need strategies to combat water scarcity and measures that ensure water security
Identifying aquifers that are suitable for MAR application sand the availability of water sources for recharge are strategic actions to enable the selection of projects that present best cost benefits and that are alternatives for the use of traditional sources
Summary
The time period between the years of 1877 and 1879, recorded as the hottest and driest of the 19th century, imposed severe hardships and suffering on the local populations. Approximately five hundred thousand people starved to death, and crops and cattle suffered devastating losses. This scenario triggered massive waves of migration of people moving towards coastal cities, bringing a demographic explosion to areas that did not yet have the appropriate infrastructure in place to support these migrations.
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