Itaipu Binacional intends to invest R$ 5 million in the construction of a laboratory and a herbarium at UEMS, which will contribute to the entire development of the state and region
Itaipu Binacional will invest R$ 5 million to build a herbarium and a fertility laboratory at the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS). This Monday (29), at the campus of Mundo Novo, a municipality close to Lake Itaipu, the authorization for the beginning of construction was signed. The ceremony was attended by Reinaldo Azambuja, governor of Mato Grosso do Sul, Valdomiro Sobrinho, mayor of the municipality, and the rector of UEMS, Laércio Alves de Carvalho. As for Itaipu Binacional, Aloisio Lamim, Advisor to the General Board, representing the Brazilian general director, General João Francisco Ferreira, assistant Márcio Bortolini, representing the Coordination director, General Luiz Felipe Carbonell and company professionals who were involved in the project.
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Investments add up to a total amount of R$ 7,8 million
The agreement was signed last year, with a term of 36 months. UEMS also intends to invest around R$ 2 million in the partnership with Itaipu Binacional, totaling more than R$ 7,8 million in investments. In addition to the equipment and two buildings, the agreement also provides for the creation of a series of socio-environmental projects, training and technical-scientific projects in the Southern Cone region.
In fact, some are already in progress. The new laboratory at Itaipu Binacional will be essential for UEMS and for the state, as it will treat soil and water.
Itaipu's partnership with the university will also take care of the recovery of the Iguatemi River, replanting the riparian forests, silting up, reducing erosion and also the bioceanic route, which will issue a work order for the construction of the bridge over the Paraguay River, said the governor of Estado, citing the new connection between Carmelo Peralta and Porto Murtinho (MS), in Paraguay, which will also be built with investments from Itaipu Binacional.
Rural producers in the region will have easy access to soil analysis
Ariel Scheffer da Silva, Superintendent of Environmental Management (MA.CD), stated that the soil in the municipality of Mundo Novo has unique aspects, with a sandy profile and high potential for erosion. This can make the input of sediments in the rivers that supply the Itaipu reservoir favorable.
According to Ariel, sandy sediments pose the greatest risk to the reservoir, as they remain at the bottom of the lake and the current cleaning mechanisms are not very effective and are expensive. Therefore, Itaipu Binacional plans to take preventive actions to reduce the environmental damage caused by silting up and increase the useful life of the reservoir.
The UEMS laboratory will also allow rural producers in the region, mainly small ones, to have easy access to low-cost soil analyzes to identify sediments as pollutant chemical molecules and heavy metals. Thus, they will have a better diagnosis of cultivated areas, resulting in the rational use of correctives and fertilizers.
Together with investments from Itaipu and UEMS, the Agronomy course gains prominence at the university
According to the projects, the soil analysis laboratory will have state-of-the-art equipment and an area of 332,35 square meters, while the herbarium will have 149 m². The works are expected to be completed by the third quarter of 5.
The manager of Itaipu's Environmental Action Division, Sergio Angheben, pointed out that the investments will directly help qualify the Agronomy course at UEMS, which was also announced on Monday, with classes expected to start next year.
