Banca de DEFESA: OTHON FIALHO DE OLIVEIRA

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : OTHON FIALHO DE OLIVEIRA
DATE: 15/03/2024
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: Pós-Graduação Engenharia Civil
TITLE:

Challenges of Governance in the Implementation of the Public Policy on Dam Safety: The Case of the Jucazinho Dam in Pernambuco

KEY WORDS:

Dam Safety; Public Policy; Governance.

PAGES: 312
BIG AREA: Engenharias
AREA: Engenharia Civil
SUMMARY:

The National Dam Safety Policy (PNSB), established by Law No. 12,334/2010, marks a significant milestone in legislation. It sets forth actions to ensure dam safety. However, the implementation of the PNSB faces challenges, particularly in terms of its effectiveness when applied to small-scale and public dam owners, mainly due to maintenance shortcomings. Notable tragedies such as those in Cocal/PI in 2009, Mariana/MG in 2015, and Brumadinho/MG in 2019 spurred improvements in legislation to prevent future accidents. Since then, two evaluations of the PNSB have been conducted: one by the National Water Agency in 2015 and another by the Ministry of Regional Development in 2021, providing insights into the progress of the PNSB and recommendations for enhancement. The evaluations focused on federal institutions, but there is a disparity in policy implementation at federal and state levels, due to different regulations, dam characteristics, and regional hydrological conditions. This research hypothesizes that it is possible to identify enhancements for the national policy through a relevant case study, encompassing: validation of the national evaluation of PNSB in the State; organizational assessments of the dam owner and the regulatory authority; participatory evaluation by the population in the area potentially affected by the dam break; and surveillance campaigns to monitor the conservation status. The selected case study was the Jucazinho Dam, which is the tallest dam in Brazil not used for mining waste containment that is simultaneously classified in the “high” risk category and “high” potential associated damage category. Despite its strategic role in water supply and flood control, the dam remained in an “alert” state for nearly seventeen years due to structural issues. Jucazinho is managed by the National Department of Works Against Droughts (Dnocs), which manages the largest number of dams in Brazil. Regarding the results, in terms of validating the evaluation of the PNSB by Apac/PE, it was found that there is considerable agreement with the diagnosis and proposed initiatives, satisfaction with the outcomes, but the effectiveness of the policy framework and the quality of governance were considered to be average. Additionally, risk management was identified as a critical issue. Organizational assessments revealed limitations faced by the regulatory authority, such as lack of resources to cover all regulated dams, necessitating prioritization of actions. For the dam owner, it was found that Dnocs dams in the State of Pernambuco are generally in poor condition due to inconsistent management, lack of workforce replacement, and insufficient resources for maintenance and recovery. As alternatives, it is advisable to seek further involvement from the ministry to which the DNOCS is linked and to look for new funding sources to cover the operation and maintenance of the infrastructure. From the population's perspective, the main issues concerning water resources are pollution, floods, and dam safety, highlighting the need to improve communication and environmental education. Finally, the importance of an interinstitutional, integrated, collaborative, and participatory approach is emphasized to enhance the effectiveness of the PNSB and to raise public awareness of the risks.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externo à Instituição - MELISSA CRISTINA PEREIRA GRACIOSA - UFABC
Interno - 2886922 - ARTUR PAIVA COUTINHO
Presidente - 2130589 - JOSE ALMIR CIRILO
Externa à Instituição - SIMONE ROSA DA SILVA - UPE
Externa à Instituição - YVONILDE DANTAS PINTO MEDEIROS - UFBA