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The decree was signed by Mayor Margarida Salomão during a ceremony to commemorate the city's 171st anniversary on 31 May. She emphasized that "the management of urban water is a priority issue to ensure human rights and the well-being of the population. That is why we feel honored to join the group of cities that participate in this initiative.”
According to the agreement, the city will collect data and field information about water and, based on the obtained data, will develop an implementation plan to improve the water management of the city. An important aspect of the cooperation is to test and improve the ‘water flow diagram” tool. The elaboration and testing are a participatory process, led by EAWAG, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology.
During the coming World Water Week in August 2021, the water flow diagram will be presented, and other interested cities and municipalities will be invited to make use of this working tool.
"It is a joy to have the city of Juiz de Fora in this project. The executive showed interest in the action, and this motivated us a lot to incorporate it," said Vicente José Puhl, HEKS country program director in Brazil.
During the virtual meeting, HEKS thematic advisor on access to water, Karl Heuberger and International Reference Group member of WCC-EWN, explained the background of the initiative. “We have the chance to elaborate in a highly participatory way a useful instrument to obtain important data about water,” he said. “Such a shared effort is a chance to build alliances among different actors motivated to improve access to water.”
HEKS/EPER is the aid organization of the Swiss Protestant Churches. It supports projects in more than 30 countries with actions aimed at the development of sustainable rural communities and the transformation of conflicts.
Learn more about the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Water Network
