Halcrow has had a presence in Brazil since the 1970s and in 2002 we established in Rio De Janeiro as a local company.
In 2008 we completed a two year project to create a hydrological overview and water distribution system for Manaus.
With over 2 million inhabitants Manaus metropolitan area is the second largest in northern Brazil. Rapid urban growth has placed heavy demands on the city’s water system which is compounded by local geographical challenges that include a mismatch of water pressure levels between high and low ground.
Halcrow drew on its expertise to model all of the water system’s existing networks – including pipes with diameters equal or greater than 100mm - into a coherent framework of hydraulic macro sectors which will accommodate future population growth. This work posed a particular challenge in low income peri-urban areas of the city where there are few formal paths that pipelines can follow.
As a result of the project many people in the poorer areas of the city who relied on intermittent supplies of polluted ground water are now able to enjoy a continuous supply of treated surface water supplied by treatment plants from the rivers Negro and Solimoes.