By HERALDO CAMPOS*

“I am not poor, I am sober, with light luggage. I live with just enough so that things do not steal my freedom.” (Pepe Mujica)

I have been to Uruguay a few times. The first time was for pleasure in the 90s, traveling by car with my family, as I was living in the city of São Leopoldo (RS) and working as a professor at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (Unisinos).

The following trips, in that same decade, were due to studies that were being developed on the large underground water reservoir known as the Guarani Aquifer, which extends across four countries in the Southern Cone (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay).

“Groundwater reservoirs, also called aquifers, are characterized according to their surface and subsurface limits, storage conditions and water circulation as practical units of investigation and exploration, on a regional scale.

The purpose of a hydrogeological map is to establish distinctions between different terrains and regions according to their hydrological characteristics, in association with geology. The creation of this type of map consists of placing, over a given area, values, symbols and figures that represent the form of occurrence, movement and chemical composition of groundwater.

The main objective of the Hydrogeological Map of the Guarani Aquifer, prepared by this author under the auspices of CNPq and published by Editora Unisinos, on a scale of 1:2.500.000, is to offer a general and synthetic view of the distribution of underground water resources, as support for the conceptual elaboration of the hydraulic model of the system.

It also serves to facilitate planned decision-making by water management bodies. Thus, in accordance with its guiding principles, an effort was made to integrate the hydrogeological information available in the area studied at the end of the 1990s.^[1]

In the 2000s, other work trips followed to Uruguay, mainly to the capital Montevideo, in the role of Local Facilitator of the Ribeirão Preto Pilot Project by the Organization of American States (OAS), for research into the Guarani Aquifer System Project that was being developed throughout this large region.

“In Ribeirão Preto, the aquifer is the city’s main source of water supply and the Ribeirão Preto Pilot Project, which encompasses 12 other municipalities, represents a concrete experience in managing this important resource. Its activities are an integral part of and coordinated with the actions of the Pardo Basin Committee, with regard to groundwater resources.

This region is by far the largest area among the other pilot areas, both in terms of its physical dimensions (2.500 km²) and in terms of the number and diversity of local stakeholders. The large number of universities, research institutions, agencies and departments that have been structured for a long time, in their various public service functions, have always had the technical resources and human potential to perform the activities planned for the current Guarani Aquifer Local Management Plan.”^[2]

“Nowadays, there has been much talk about surface water being the solution to the population’s water supply deficit due to the compromised use of groundwater, either due to high levels of withdrawal causing water levels to drop or due to its quality being in question as a result of possible sources of contamination. This is where the much-vaunted Rio Pardo begins to appear as a lifeline for some groups.

The waters of the Pardo River, of questionable quality, are not the solution as some lobbies advocate, especially in times of crisis or lack of water for public supply. Although cleaning up and preserving our rivers should also be our constant concern, Ribeirão Preto has been supplied with groundwater from the Guarani Aquifer for several decades. This system, which is part of the urban metabolism of Ribeirão Preto, is what needs to be better understood and, consequently, managed.

Since this management is already being done to some extent, for its actions to be carried out successfully they must necessarily involve the encouragement of some crucial points: a management policy, including the recovery of abandoned wells and adaptation of wells for water level observation; optimization of the pumping time of deep wells; a reservation plan for water collected from the Guarani Aquifer; reduction of losses in the distribution network and a strategy for installing water meters, with bonuses for users of the system who do not exceed a necessary maximum limit.

On the other hand, and along the same lines of reasoning, there is talk of the possible transfer of groundwater from the Guarani Aquifer to meet the drinking water needs of the population of Greater São Paulo. This mega-reservoir, one of the largest reserves of groundwater in the world and a constant focus of attention from national and international organizations, is quickly beginning to appear as one of the saviors of the nation for this region of high population density.

As this reservoir is a strategic natural resource, any intervention should be widely discussed, to avoid the risk of an undertaking of this size becoming an opportunistic outlet for supply to the detriment of what currently exists.

The public dissemination of information and discussions on this specific topic are now one of the most important objectives at this stage of investigation and research. Groundwater is a resource that must continue to be sought in the Ribeirão Preto region to meet its supply needs. Thus, it is concluded that a population that is well informed about its problems, as well as all the scientific and political opinions to solve them, is better able to participate in improving the quality of life that only effectively occurs when it is aimed at the majority of the community.”^[3]

Good memories are kept of the coexistence with colleagues from that period in technical meetings and of the fraternal friendship that was established with the Argentine, Paraguayan and Uruguayan brothers, which lasts until today.

However, I confess that during these years that have passed, studying this mega-reservoir of underground water, I have not had, as far as I can remember, the opportunity to hear any personal account of Pepe Mujica (José Alberto Mujica Cordano), former president and former senator of Uruguay, who left us recently, and whom I regret not having met in person.

But, as time goes by, getting to know a little about his simple and hard-working life story, I continue to feel moved and even stronger on the path I chose for my professional and personal journey.

May the Full Moon of 13/05/2025 seen in Ubatuba (SP), the day of Pepe Mujica's passing, continue to illuminate this incredible human being, who I would like to be part of my family so I can call him, with all affection and respect, Uncle Pepe.

“I am not poor, I am sober, with light luggage. I live with just enough so that things do not steal my freedom.” (Pepe Mujica).

* Heraldo Campos, geologist, he is a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation at the São Carlos School of Engineering-USP.

Notes

[1] Article “Hydrogeological map of the Guarani aquifer” by Heraldo Campos, published in the newspaper Commercial Gazette of Rio Grande do Sul. Porto Alegre, 14 and 15/11/2000.

[2] Article “Ribeirão Preto Pilot Project and the Pardo Basin Committee” by Heraldo Campos, published in the newspaper Printed Tribune. Ribeirao Preto, 08/07/2006.

[3] Article “Urban metabolism of Ribeirão” by Heraldo Campos, published in the Gazeta de Ribeirão newspaper. Ribeirão Preto, 15/10/2006.

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