Chinese (Simplified) 
Chinese (Traditional) 
English 
French 
Alemão 
Italian 
Japanese 
Norwegian 
Spanish 
4 min read
0 comments
After a year of flooding in Rio Grande do Sul, R$6,5 billion in resources for prevention works are at a standstill, and the population is demanding urgent interventions to avoid new tragedies.
One year after the biggest climate tragedy in the recent history of Rio Grande do Sul, the reconstruction work scenario is still marked by slowness and bureaucratic obstacles. Heavy rains and floods have highlighted serious flaws in the infrastructure containment, especially in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, where dikes and drainage systems were not able to contain the advance of the waters.
Despite warnings and lessons learned from the crisis, the work needed to prevent similar events from happening again has not yet begun. Technicians point out that the impact of the catastrophe could have been significantly less if there had been adequate maintenance of flood defense systems — many of which were in disrepair or simply non-existent in vulnerable areas.
Works in RS: R$6,5 billion stuck in federal funds awaiting execution
The Federal Government announced, at the end of 2024, the creation of the Infrastructure Support Fund for Recovery and Adaptation to Extreme Climate Events (Firece).
-
Ten elevators and three cranes at the construction site where three people died after falling from the 17th floor in São Paulo were closed by the Ministry of Labor
-
It used to be powered by animal traction; today, it is present in all construction sites. Meet the mind behind the brilliant idea of the concrete mixer as we know it today.
-
Liebherr LR 13000: the most powerful crane in the world lifts up to 5.000 tons and is used on large construction sites around the world
-
Concerns about construction sites are not limited to deadlines and materials — dengue fever also requires attention. Check out tips to avoid outbreaks and keep your construction site safe
Buy
Linked to Caixa Econômica Federal, the fund has R$6,5 billion fully available to finance works such as stream drainage, river dredging, construction and recovery of dikes and pump houses, among other structural interventions.
Even with the funds already allocated, none of the planned projects have been started. The slowness in updating technical plans and administrative disagreements between the state and federal governments have been the main obstacles to the progress of the works. Meanwhile, communities continue to be exposed to new extreme weather events.
Disagreement between the Union and the State delays the intervention schedule
According to Maneco Hassen, secretary of support for reconstruction of the state, the original idea was to decentralize resources and allow the municipalities themselves to lead the bids.
“When President Lula announced these R$6,5 billion, our initial intention in the federal government was to reach an agreement with the municipalities, because theoretically each municipality would have the capacity to hold its own bidding process and, therefore, we would have several projects moving forward at the same time and, theoretically, at a greater speed,” he explained.
However, Governor Eduardo Leite asked the president to place the responsibility on the state government. The proposal was accepted, centralizing the execution in the Rio Grande do Sul executive branch. However, this ended up generating a new stage of adjustments to the projects, requiring readjustments to the real conditions after the floods.
Governor claims need to review projects given the magnitude of the disaster
At a recent event in the capital, Leite justified the delay. According to him, technical studies were underway even before the catastrophe, but the scale of the damage forced the government to recalculate its plans.
“The federal government, the technicians from the ministries, with whom we have interacted, and our technical teams are aware that the state is doing its part, seeking to update the projects that will access these resources from the flood control fund,” he said.
The governor highlighted that the projects related to the Eldorado do Sul dam and the Arroio Feijó basin, for example, needed to be completely re-evaluated.
“If we simply continued with the construction of the projects that were being designed, we would carry out works and interventions that would not withstand the flooding we had,” he warned.
The current stage is finalizing the terms of reference, essential documents for contracting engineering services. However, there is no official forecast for the actual start of the works.
Mayors call for urgency: “The resource is at a standstill”
The delay in taking the projects of paper generates frustration in municipalities that have been hit hard. In Porto Alegre, Mayor Sebastião Melo states that there are approximately R$700 million in proposals filed with the State.
“We have written several flood protection projects. But this is still there, none of them have been authorized yet. We want it to be decided quickly,” he complained.
A similar situation is occurring in Canoas, where more than 50% of the urban area was affected by flooding after the collapse of dikes. Mayor Airton Souza is also pushing for agility.
“This amount has already been contributed, including earning interest for this fund. It is necessary that the government does not keep the money idle, blocked, and makes the appropriate allocation so that we can continue these works”, he highlighted.
Priority works remain without a start date
Among the main works listed by the reconstruction plan are:
- Eldorado do Sul Dike: city was almost completely submerged during the flood;
- Requalification of the Feijó Stream basin: covers Alvorada and areas of Porto Alegre;
- Interventions in drainage and pumping systems in several cities in the metropolitan region.
These projects are considered strategic to contain future floods and preserve lives, especially in the face of climate change that makes extreme events more frequent and intense.
Population demands concrete action
As time passes and resources remain unused, fear grows among the population that a new tragedy could occur without preventive works being completed.
Residents, experts and municipal managers warn that Rio Grande do Sul cannot wait any longer. Prevention needs to be a priority and move beyond the realm of intentions to become reality.
