Waterways are predetermined paths for water traffic. It is widely used in developed countries for large-volume transport over long distances, as it is a cheaper means of transport than highways and railways.
In Brazil, despite the large existing hydrographic basins, waterways are not widely used. The country opted for road transport by building large highways parallel to navigable places that would lower the cost of transport.
A large part of the Amazon and Paraguay basins are perfectly navigable, but in some stretches corrections are needed for use. Another factor that contributes to the low use of Brazilian waterways is the costs charged per ton in embarkation and disembarkation, which increases by five times the value of transport in relation to countries developed.
In 1980, projects were drawn up for the development of river navigation in Brazil, but only ten years later did they start working on these projects. Brazil has more than 4,000km of navigable coasts and thousands of kilometers of rivers, the most important stretches being in the south and southeast of the country.
The main waterways are:
Araguaia-Tocantins Waterway: During the floods of the Tocantins River, the navigable stretch reaches 1,900km and on the Araguaia River it reaches 1,100km.
São Francisco Waterway: It is the most economical connection between the Midwest and the Northeast, being fully navigable in 1,371 km. The main stretch is between the cities of Pirapora-MG and Juazeiro - BA.
Madeira Waterway: The Madeira River is one of the main tributaries of the Amazon River. In works, the waterway will allow navigation at night.
Tietê-Paraná Waterway: Allows the transport of grains and other goods from Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná and São Paulo. It has 1,250 navigable km divided into 450 km on the Tietê River and 800 km on the Paraná River.
Taguari-Guaíba Waterway: It is the main waterway in transported cargo. It has intermodal terminals that facilitate cargo transshipment.
By Gabriela Cabral