The Temer government is pursuing a clear course in Brazil: it is in the process of abolishing the social achievements of recent years. This also affects the "one million cisterns" programme, which can successfully combat the drought problem. This program has a tailwind. Last autumn it won the silver Future Policy Award.
Access to water is an important prerequisite for development. Even in the drought-prone north-east of Brazil, the right to water is not a matter of course. This is why the "one million cisterns" programme, which is largely supported by Centro Sabia (our partner organisation in northeastern Brazil), was recognised in September 2017 as the world's second most important initiative in the fight against drought and aridity. The recognition of this program is especially important now, as it looks as if the Temer government is tacitly drying it out financially.
For self-determination and income generation
This project, which was brought into politics by civil society, was launched to secure access to water in drought-prone regions of Brazil. The simple rainwater collection technology enables a constant consumption of water for food cultivation and livestock farming. It thus enables millions of poor people in the region to achieve self-determination and generate income.
Slow end
The great success of the project led the previous government of Brazil to support it financially and to make it an official program. It is all the more bitter that this award-winning program is no longer supported by the current Temer government. It has not officially ended it due to the austerity measures, but without communicating it, it has stopped reimbursing the costs.
Future Policy Award
The prize was awarded by the World Future Council in cooperation with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). According to its own statements, the Future Policy Award is the first prize to distinguish good legislation at the international level. In 2017, the Future Policy Award honoured political initiatives that effectively combat desertification and land degradation.
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