Water from the São Francisco River now travels over 100 kilometres through the Cinturão das Águas do Ceará, a key stage for one of Brazil’s largest hydraulic projects. A September 2026 update put physical execution at 93.2%, up from the 92% reported earlier. The 145.3-kilometre canal remains under construction, with completion expected in June 2027.
Construction began in 2013 to address the chronic water shortages that have long affected Ceará. The canal is designed to carry water from the Jati reservoir, supplied by the São Francisco River transposition’s North Axis, towards the headwaters of the Cariús River and the wider state water network. It is intended to move water primarily by gravity, following the terrain’s elevation profile.
Construction sections show varying progress along the route. The September update reported remaining work between kilometres 90 and 111 and between kilometres 111 and 145. Complementary works and control-system testing were also under way. A section between kilometres 75 and 90 was reported delivered in June 2026; completion of individual stretches does not by itself mean the entire system is ready to operate.
The canal’s maximum design capacity is 30 cubic metres per second, or 30,000 litres per second. Once connected to Ceará’s wider water network, it is intended to link supplies with the Salgado and Jaguaribe basins, as well as Castanhão, which contributes to water security for the metropolitan region around Fortaleza. The project is expected to benefit around five million people, improving water availability in Cariri and Alto Jaguaribe, along with other areas.
The canal is the first phase of a much larger plan. The full vision includes nearly 1,300 kilometres of interconnected channels and branches, designed to serve up to 80% of Ceará’s territory by 2040. Most of this network is also planned to operate by gravity, reflecting a shift towards large-scale, energy-efficient water management.
The Cinturão das Águas depends on water made available through the São Francisco transposition; it does not create new water resources. The North Axis carries water towards Ceará. The East Axis was completed and inaugurated in 2017, and later administrations completed and inaugurated the final North Axis sections serving Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte. A fact-check by Projeto Comprova, reported by Brasil de Fato, found that at least 92.5% of the physical execution of the transposition’s two basic axes was already complete when Jair Bolsonaro took office in January 2019.
The canal cannot generate rainfall or increase the total quantity of water available in the São Francisco system. It redistributes stored or transferred water by linking reservoirs and supply networks with rivers. Its effectiveness will depend on available flows and reservoir storage. Maintenance and integration with Ceará’s water-management system will also matter. Expected benefits depend on construction being completed, complementary works and operational testing. Completion does not guarantee protection from future drought restrictions.
Local adaptation remains impressive. Ceará will need to combine this infrastructure with water-saving measures and local storage, while adapting agriculture. In other regions, new approaches such as moisture-retaining gels for crops are being explored to cope with dry periods. The Cinturão das Águas offers a large-scale response, but coordinated management will be basic to ensuring water reaches households and farms, including in cities.
Recent research in the Amazon has highlighted how even small-scale interventions can have far-reaching impacts on regional ecosystems, as seen in studies on biodiversity loss linked to agricultural expansion in Peru and Colombia. Ceará’s canal reflects a different approach, but both show the complexity of managing water and land in changing climates.
Official estimates put the total cost of the Cinturão das Águas do Ceará at around 2.3 billion reais. The Government of Ceará’s hydrological portal tracks stored-water volumes by management region, giving operators context for managing transfers once the system is ready.
