Juliana Andrade
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília – The Water Resources Plan that was approved yesterday is not just good news for environmentalists. Farmers can also commemorate the guidelines and goals established in the plan for the rational use of water resources in Brazil between now and the year 2020.

According to minister of Environment, Marina Silva, with an agricultural sector that uses 70% of the country's water resources, the plan had to take that sector into consideration. "Our objective is to maximize use while we avoid contamination and the loss of vegetation," she declared.

Jose Cisino Menezes, who represents sugar mill owners, says the plan will mean more security for water users. He points out that in order to irrigate an hectare of land for an hour you need an average of 3,600 liters of water.

"There was a need for a clear policy that established some control. With the new plan we will have the water we need for irrigation," he says.

Translation: Allen Bennett