Sharing Experience Across Borders

Steinbeis Brazil organizes a German-Brazilian water resources seminar

A new chapter has been written in the success story of German-Brazilian collaboration in the Steinbeis Network. On August 26, 2014, organizers Diego Nascimento and Professor Dr. Nazem Nascimento of Steinbeis Consulting Services - Brazil welcomed more than 90 participants to the first German-Brazilian water resources seminar, held in the city of Resende near Rio de Janeiro.

The host of the seminar, the Association for the Management of the Paraiba do Sul River (AGEVAP), under the leadership of its managing director Dr. André Luiz de Paula Marques, placed a spotlight on the sharing of information and experience between Germany and Brazil, touching on topics such as technology, systems and the targeted monitoring of activities in the water management field.

Around the globe, Germany is considered a model and benchmark for the management of bodies of water. The German delegation was represented by Professor Dr. Lars Ribbe and Georg Meier, two speakers from the Institute for Technology and Resources Management in the Tropics and Subtropics (Cologne University of Applied Sciences) as well as Jörg Steinhardt, managing director of Steinhardt Wassertechnik, and Sandra Haltmayer, part of the international team at Steinbeis headquarters. To form a picture of the local situation, the German delegation was offered the chance to visit a hydroelectric power station near the city of Piraí, which is operated by Light S.A.

During the event, speakers presented specific examples and processes from the German water management sector, rainwater management methods for flood prevention and safeguarding the local environment, as well as ways to share technology between Brazil and Germany.

Brazil was represented at the seminar by Victor Sucupira, head of water resource management at the country’s national water agency (ANA). He spoke about the operational details of managing Brazil’s system for water resources. In addition, Dr. Ney Maranhão from Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment gave comprehensive insights into the host country’s water management, underscoring the responsibility of its water ecosystem committee, a key organization for implementing measures aimed at revitalizing and safeguarding the management of bodies of water in Brazil.

Feedback on the first German-Brazilian water resources seminar was extremely positive and the joint project was an highly positive experience. This will serve as an impetus for further seminars and projects as the two countries continue to collaborate on water resources.

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