Abstract: The Programa Água Doce-PAD(in English: Fresh Water Program) promoted by the Brazilian Federal Government under the coordinationof the Environmental Ministry, seeks to promote sustainable use of groundwater resources and provide potable water for human consumption in areas withcriticalwater scarcity in the Brazilian Semiarid region, through the use of the Reverse Osmosis Technique. The Program is guided by the following principles: community empowerment, environmental sustainability and technicalcapacity building. The methodology that led the Program to becomea success case was conceived in 2003, through a participatory process with the contribution of public Brazilian institutions such as: Federal University of Campina Grande-UFCG (Social Engagement Procedure); Brazilian Geologic Service-CPRM (Ground Water information), Brazilian Agriculture Research Corporation ?EMBRAPA (Methodology for the reuse of desalinated water concentrate), besides 10 Brazilian State ?s Governments and the civil society. The Program was launched in 2004.Ithas, presently,more than 460 installed Desalination Plants, which, together,can producea total of approximately 1.5 million liters (around 400,000 gallons) of potable water per day (considering a 8h/per dayproduction).It has,so far,benefited about 184,000 people in over 460 rural communities spread throughout the Brazilian semiarid region, ensuring safe water access to its residents. The program has already trained more than 1,000 people, including state technicians and operators of desalination systems. The Program contributes to improving the health and life quality of people in the semiarid regionas it takesinto account the naturaland socialpotential of each communitie, ensuring ways to address the vulnerabilities to which they are subjected becauseof climate variability. Social engagement is a mandatory aspect for the Program?s success. Local communities are stimulated to gain their independence by having, through the PAD methodology, their empowerment encouraged and demanded.The ultimate goal of the first large scaleplan is to take Desalination Systems to at least 1,300 communities throughout the Brazilian Semiaridregion. The Environmental Ministry is seeking to improve the systems with solar energy and automatized machinery,looking forward to improve local communities? independence.

Profundiza la comprension del proceso de fortalecimiento organizativo en la gestion del agua a traves de este eje principal de los derechos de agua. El primer capitulo presenta una introduccion conceptual; los siguientes capitulos profundizan los distintos conceptos y temas y los ilustran con ejemplos de Peru, Bolivia, Chile y Ecuador

Gift

Profundiza sobre las multiples interacciones entre la gestion del agua, las identidades y normativas locales y las politicas hidircas en los paises andinos y buscar caminos para una legislacion adecuada, politicas mas democraticas y equitativas y un acompañamiento mutuo mas fructifero en los procesos de gestion del agua en las cuencas y comunidades andinas. Consta de tres partes: etnicidad, identidad y Estado. Derechos locales e indigenas, legislacion y politicas hidricas. Relaciones de propiedad sobre el agua, historia y realidad actual de los derechos indigenas y campesinos.

Climate change is at the top of the development agenda in Central America. This region, together with the Caribbean, is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change in Latin America. Climate change is manifesting itself through higher average temperatures and more frequent droughts that result in higher water stress, and through the rising frequency of extreme weather events such as tropical storms, hurricanes, floods and landslides, all of which pose significant challenges in the rural water supply and sanitation sector. The paper starts with a review of the historic data on temperature and precipitation trends in Central America and particularly at the regional level in Nicaragua. The data reveal a clear trend of the growing climate variability, increased water stress for crops, and greater frequency of extreme weather events. The rising intensity and frequency of ex-treme weather events is among the most critical risks to the region's development agenda, and they translate into high economic losses. This paper examines the impacts and implications of potential climate change on water resources in Nicaragua and makes key recommendations to integrate climate change and rural water supply and sanitation policies and programs in a way that increase resilience to current and future climate conditions. | 0