The role of engineering in the development of Brazilian waterways was the subject of a lecture by the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) this Tuesday (20), for Civil Engineering students from the State University of Goiás (UEG), in Anápolis (GO). Delivered by the Director of Waterway Management of the National Secretariat of Waterways and Navigation (SNHN), Eliezé Bulhões, the activity was part of the XXI Civil Engineering Week (Semec), at the Henrique Santillo Campus of Exact and Technological Sciences.
"Waterway policy seeks to expand transport alternatives for production and improve the lives of those who depend on rivers. Bringing this debate to the university is to show future engineers how their knowledge can contribute to safer navigation, reduce transport costs, and improve community access," said Eliezé Bulhões.
MPor, through the National Secretariat of Waterways and Navigation, works on formulating policies and planning waterway infrastructure to expand cargo and passenger transport alternatives. This work involves improving navigation conditions and integrating rivers with other modes, considering both the outflow of production and the needs of communities that depend on river transport.
Waterways allow for the transport of large volumes of cargo, such as grains, ores, and fuels, connecting producing areas to terminals and ports. Integrated with highways and railways, they expand the alternatives for production outflow. In the Amazon, rivers are also essential for the movement of the population and the arrival of food, medicine, and other products to riverside communities.
Utilizing these routes depends on planning and adequate navigation conditions. In this process, engineering contributes with studies on river behavior, infrastructure projects, dredging, signaling, and monitoring of channels, considering variations in water levels and the environmental characteristics of each region.
For João Pedro Carvalho Caldeira, a fourth-semester Civil Engineering student, the lecture broadened his understanding of the capacity of Brazilian waterways and their potential for the competitiveness of national production. "The possibilities are enormous, especially the reduction of costs for transporting grains and ores. This has the capacity to reduce our production and outflow costs and make our cargo even more competitive. It was a very enriching learning experience that we don't see in the classroom," he highlighted.
