The action was attended by students from the Pingo D’Agua and Corrego Novo municipal schools
In an action held in the municipalities of Pingo D’Agua and Corrego Novo, in the Steel Valley (Vale do Aço), Minas Gerais, the Doce River water monitoring activities, developed by the Renova Foundation, were presented to about 800 children. Participants also learned about the equipment used in the river basin sampling and simulated water quality analyses.
The first to participate in the action was the Vereador Joao Gonzaga dos Reis Municipal School, in Pingo D’Agua. Next came the Professor Borges da Costa Municipal School in Corrego Novo. The two municipalities are both adjacent to the Doce River State Park, located in the Metropolitan Steel Valley area.
According to the principal of the Pingo D’Agua school, Aparecida Abreu, the initiative helped the children to better understand the Doce River water quality and monitoring. “The students really enjoyed the way the information was presented. It was done in a playful and practical way,” she says.
Cristiana Sa, principal of Professor Borges da Costa Municipal School, also stressed the importance of showing the children what has been done so far in the Doce River, to awaken their interest. “The students learned a lot. They paid close attention and were impressed by the animals and equipment that were brought,” she says.
Monitoring Program
The initiative was led by the team of the Doce River Basin Monitoring Program, in partnership with the Renova Foundation’s Social Dialogue area. For Soraia Soares, a social and environmental analyst who participated in the action, it is essential to improve the communities’ perception of what good water quality is. “I believe it all starts at school. By addressing important topics such as water, we can see the evolution and growth of more conscious citizens,” she says.
The Doce River Basin Monitoring Program features 92 manual monitoring points and 22 automatic stations. The objective is to monitor the evolution of the water quality, identify trends and support the development of diagnostics and recovery actions.
Upcoming actions
In order to bring these activities even closer to the population living in the basin, the Monitoring Program will organize three other educational actions. On 10/10, it will be the turn of Agripino Vilas Novas State School, in Fernandes Tourinho. Followed by Sem Peixe on 11/12 and the children of the Rio Casca rural region on 11/13.
Initiatives have also been undertaken with farmers in the communities of Rochedo, Leonel and Corrego Preto in Rio Casca; and in Santana do Paraiso.