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With More Than 1,250 Km Planned, the Water System Uses Gravity to Carry Water from the São Francisco River to the Ceará Semi-Arid Region, Combating Decades of Drought.
Ceará, one of the driest states in Brazil, has lived with drought for decades. Water was a scarce resource, often dependent on water trucks. This scenario is changing with the Ceará Water Belt (CAC). It is one of the most ambitious water projects in the country. Its mission is to redistribute water from the São Francisco River across hundreds of kilometers in the Ceará territory.
What Is the Ceará Water Belt (CAC)?
The Ceará Water Belt, or CAC, is a gigantic water system. It was designed to cross the state from south to north. The objective is to deliver water to regions that historically suffer from drought. The project represents the largest water work in Ceará and one of the most important in the northeastern semi-arid region.
The total investment exceeds R$ 2 billion. Of this amount, R$ 1.7 billion has already been agreed upon with federal funds. The project begins at the Jati dam in southern Ceará. It is there that water from the São Francisco River enters the state, coming from the north axis of transposition. From there, it spreads out to supply dozens of municipalities and large reservoirs.
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How Does the Water Belt Work?
The structure was designed to function primarily by gravity. This means that water flows naturally most of the way, without the need for pumping. This choice reduces operating costs and makes the water belt more sustainable in the long run. The system combines different technologies adapted to the local geography.
- Canals: They are the heart of the CAC. In Section 1, they total about 119 km. They are excavated in the ground, with a trapezoidal shape, and lined with plastic geomembrane and concrete to prevent leaks. The structure is 4.8 meters high and capable of carrying up to 30,000 liters of water per second.
- Inverted Siphons: To cross valleys, roads, and railways, the system uses siphons. These are carbon steel tubes with a diameter of 2.8 meters that “dive” into the ground. Section 1 has 29 siphons, totaling over 19 km in length.
- Tunnels: In mountainous regions, such as the Araripe Range, the solution was to excavate tunnels. Nine tunnels were constructed in the first section, with a total length of 5.7 km. Water also flows by gravity inside them, with total safety.
The Sections of the Water Belt
The execution of the CAC was divided into sections and branches to optimize construction and operation.
- Section 1: It is the most advanced, with 83.49% physical progress. It has a length of 145.3 km, connecting the Jati dam to the Carius River. It already directly benefits 24 municipalities and over 5 million people in the Fortaleza Metropolitan Region through an emergency branch in operation since 2021.
- Section 2: It will have a length of 271 km, bringing water from the end of Section 1 to the more central regions of the state.
- Section 3: It is designed with 137 km, connecting the end of Section 2 to important hydrographic basins in Ceará.
The modular structure allows each section to function independently. This ensures the gradual supply of priority areas while other parts are still under construction.
Water Security for Ceará
When completed, the water belt will have a total estimated length of 1,252.65 km. This is equivalent to the distance from Fortaleza to Salvador by land. The project will directly and indirectly benefit more than 4.5 million people throughout the Ceará. The project ensures water for human consumption, agricultural irrigation, and support for industrial hubs.
Although the Transposition of the São Francisco River is better known, the CAC is the structure that guarantees the capillary distribution of water within Ceará. On a global scale, the project compares to Israel’s National Water Carrier and China’s South-North Water Diversion Project. The difference is that the Brazilian project was tailor-made for the semi-arid region, with smart and low-energy-cost solutions, demonstrating the capacity of national engineering to transform realities.
With information from Canal Construction Time.
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