Antaq director defends Paraguay River waterway and dismisses environmental criticism

The director of the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq), Alber Vasconcelos, a strong supporter of inland waterways, expressed indignation over certain environmental objections raised during the modeling of the concession for the southern stretch of the Paraguay River Waterway, the first of its kind in the country, covering 600 kilometers between Corumbá (MS) and the mouth of the Apa River on the border with Paraguay. The auction is scheduled for December.

His remarks were made during Tribuna Talks, which addressed inland waterways as part of Summit Antaq, held on October 16 at Arena BRB Mané Garrincha in Brasília.

“I see five million tonnes transported on this stretch every year. Yet now people are discussing concerns about the river’s headwaters and the idea that dredging would change the river’s flow. All these arguments come from what we often call ignorance, which is a lack of knowledge,” said Vasconcelos.

“Dredging is nothing more than a normal, routine cleaning. In Brazil, we turned dredging into a structural problem. In this Paraguay River Waterway project, we were forecasting 600,000 cubic meters of dredging to reach a depth of two and a half meters, maybe three meters,” he added.

Vasconcelos argues that the goal of this waterway project — as with others to come — is to ensure navigability predictability for cargo transport in the Southern Cone, with low investment and maintenance requirements.

“This is Mercosur. It is a national strategy that goes beyond Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul,” he said.

To illustrate the broader context of Brazilian rivers: of the 42,000 kilometers in the planned network, 20,000 are navigable. Antaq has selected strategic stretches totaling 6,000 kilometers.

According to the director, the environmental debate around the initiative is minor compared to the environmental benefits that come with using the waterway.

“And I still have to justify the fact that I am removing a convoy that carries 30,000 tonnes. A truck carries 30 tonnes. So that means I am removing one thousand trucks from a highway stretch. And I still have to justify that the environmental impact is better by waterway,” he explained.

DIVERSIFICATION AND DISTANCES

Even so, Vasconcelos stresses that the goal is not to demonize trucks, but rather to better plan their use by diversifying transport modes. The Brazilian logistics matrix is road-based, at between 60% and 70%, while railways account for around 15% and waterway transport accounts for less than 6%.

“In developed countries, there is a major focus on distance traveled. We held a very productive meeting with President Wander (Francisco Costa) of CNT (National Transport Confederation), who also supports the inland waterway system, to avoid the idea that we are against trucks and truckers. We are not replacing trucks — they will continue to exist, but for the distances that make sense,” he said.

“We need to insist that the waterway is important. It is far better for the environment and lowers our logistics costs,” he added.

Source: A Tribuna

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