Corporative Water Risk Assessment - CWRA

• Grant number: 20/10047-8
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Duration: May 01, 2021 - October 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Water Resources
• Principal Investigator: Claudio Bicudo Mendonça
• Grantee: Claudio Bicudo Mendonça
• Host Company: H2O Company Gestão em Sustentabilidade Ltda. - ME
• CNAE: Atividades profissionais, científicas e técnicas não especificadas anteriormente
• City: São Paulo
• Pesquisadores principais: Dener Ghenov Costa
• Associated researchers: Renata de Souza Leão Martins
• Associated research grant: 16/21902-0 - Corporative Water Risk Assessment - CWRA, AP.PIPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/04611-6 - Water-Associated Corporate Risk Assessment - ARCA, BP.TT; 22/16739-4 - Development and validation of the water risk assessment methodology and general project support, BP.TT; 22/12659-6 - Water-Associated Corporate Risk Assessment - ARCA, BP.TT; + associated scholarships 22/09968-7 - Water-Associated Corporate Risk Assessment - ARCA, BP.TT; 21/13589-9 - Water-Associated Corporate Risk Assessment - ARCA, BP.TT; 21/12682-5 - Water-Associated Corporate Risk Assessment - ARCA, BP.TT - associated scholarships

Abstract

Brazil is the country with the highest availability of freshwater in the world, but its distribution is uneven, and the regions with the highest demands have less availability. Global climate change, coupled with deforestation of forests, are changing hydrological patterns in Brazil. As a result, regions historically abundant in water are experiencing situations of a water crisis with greater frequency and intensity. The lack of rain added to the lack of basic sanitation and the increase in demand results in a significant risk of economic losses. The industrial sector demands large volumes of water in its direct operations and also in the entire production chain, especially those with agricultural stages in their processes. Prolonged drought periods further increase the demand for irrigation which can impact the availability of water for other uses and generate conflicts. Given this scenario, good corporate management of water resources is fundamental for the success of the business and the country's water security. Keeping an eye on the risks associated with the availability of water, companies, financial institutions, and management bodies, such as the Hydrographic Basin Committees, are looking for tools that help in better management of water use. The general objective of this project is to develop an effective water risk assessment tool, both for Brazilian companies and for the Hydrographic Basin Committees that manage the water resources of each region. Phase 1 of PIPE aimed to define a water risk assessment software model. Benchmarking was carried out with the existing international tools, in addition to identifying the necessary data and developing a pilot water risk assessment platform for industries. In Phase 1, the technical and economic feasibility of building the ARCA Sustainability system was also verified. After the conclusion of this phase, the H2O Company continued to develop the software, until the launch of the basic version MVP (Minimum Viable Product), however with limited resources. Phase 2 of PIPE will enable the continuous improvement of this tool of such importance for water management in Brazil. At first, in this second phase, a mapping of critical watersheds and target market will be carried out, which will allow the construction of a database of these priority watersheds where potential customers are located. With this information, the programmer will have all the elements for the development of the ARCA Sustainability system. At the end of PIPE 2, the product must be ready to be sold. With the use of this software, companies and management bodies will have subsidies to develop strategies for the sustainable use of water. The product should also add value to companies by improving environmental management and the organization's image and reputation. (AU)