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The Brazilian government has opened a public consultation, until February 23, for the first waterway concession in the history of Brazil. The selected stretch is on the Paraguay River in Mato Grosso do Sul. It spans 600 kilometers from Corumbá to the mouth of the Apa River, located in the municipality of Porto Murtinho. The project also includes the bed of the Tamengo Canal in the municipality of Corumbá.
The Paraguay River waterway is currently managed by the federal government, and in 2023, it transported 7.95 million tons of cargo, a 72.57% increase compared to 2022. Last year, the waterway was affected by drought and low river levels. With the concession, the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq), responsible for the bidding process, will ensure a minimum draft of 3 meters when the river is full and 2 meters during dry periods, ensuring year-round navigation, or at least for most of the year. As a result, cargo transport on the Paraguay River is expected to reach between 25 and 30 million tons starting in 2030.
The direct investment in the first years is estimated at R$ 63.8 million. The contractual duration of the concession is 15 years, with the possibility of an extension for an equal period. In the first five years of the concession, dredging, rock removal, appropriate marking and signaling, construction of industrial warehouses, purchase of dredgers, hydrological monitoring, hydrographic surveys, improvements to crossing points and convoy breakdown areas, and implementation of traffic management systems, including Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) and River Information Service (RIS), as well as river intelligence services, will be carried out.
Through the public consultation, citizens, businesses, and entities can submit contributions, suggestions, and support for the improvement of the model and technical documents related to the concession via a link on the Antaq website.
Environmental Risks
Environmentalists, however, are concerned about the environmental and economic impacts of the privatization of the waterway. The non-governmental organization Ecoa – Ecologia e Ação, argues that the privatization of the Paraguay River should not be seen merely as a logistical advancement but as an imminent risk to the ecosystem and local communities. The proposed measures could result in irreversible environmental damage.
It points out that the necessary interventions to ensure a minimum draft of 2 meters throughout the year could lead to environmental impacts, including the continuous removal of rocks and extensive dredging, which could alter the river's dynamics and affect the sustainability of the Pantanal.
For the NGO, rock removal (derrocamento) is the most dangerous aspect, as the rocks are an integral part of riverbed construction and their removal could change the hydrological dynamics, the so-called geological controls.
SOS Pantanal warns that the concession plan has been discussed by several governments over the past thirty years and has never advanced due to environmental risks. The NGO states that dredging could shorten the flooding period and reduce the extent of wetland areas in the Pantanal. Studies indicate that an increase in the depth of the channel between 10 and 25 cm could reduce the flooded area by up to 31.4%. This reduction would negatively impact biodiversity and the ecological dynamics of the biome, which not only supports diverse fauna and flora but also helps lower temperatures in South America.
For SOS Pantanal, the intensive traffic of barges could also cause bank erosion and the resuspension of sediments, as well as release pollutants such as fuels and oils into the river, degrading water quality and affecting sensitive aquatic ecosystems.
Contributions to the public consultation can be submitted until 11:59 PM on February 23, 2025, exclusively through the electronic form available on the ANTAQ website. Contributions submitted by other means will not be accepted. The link to the website is ANTAQ - SCL (https://web3.antaq.gov.br/Sistemas/LeilaoInternetV2/PaginaPrincipal.aspxA).