Surface Freshwater Quality in Brazil: Outlook 2012: Executive Summary

Brazil is home to 12% of the surface freshwater available in the world, one of the countrys greatest assets. Water availability, however, is not restricted to its quantitative aspect alone. The various uses of water entail quality requirements that when failed to be met represent a limiting factor for its use. Therefore, the main goal of the National Water Resources Policy is to ensure the current generation as well as future generations the necessary water availability, with quality standards suitable for the respective uses. Knowing the quality of water is an essential factor for managing it. The National Water Agency (ANA) has published information on water quality in the country using data from state monitoring networks. The document Surface Freshwater Quality in Brazil Outlook 2012 represents an impressive evolution from the publication of 2005, mainly with respect to the increase in the number of monitoring points and water quality indicators used. The study also uses the Pressure-State-Response model, which enables identifying the cause and effect relationships between sources of pollution, water quality indices and civil societys responses to these problems. The study also presents an unprecedented assessment of water quality in the period 2001-2010. This Executive Summary presents the national vision of the full version in Portuguese of the Surface Freshwater Quality in Brazil Outlook 2012 and is available in both English and Spanish.