Refresca São Paulo - Adapting Slums to Heat Islands Stresses and Water Insecurity - Brazil

Water security meets recreation in São Paulo’s slums by capturing and storing rainwater communally. This activity has proposed a community system of rainwater collection that works with the precipitation patterns of the region in order to have water for irrigation all year round, and water for recreational purposes in the hottest months.

Fast facts:

A pilot project is in progress that will enable capacity building by providing technical training courses through the community's participatory engagement. Up to 20 villagers from vulnerable communities have been trained in rainwater-harvesting systems workshops.
This activity aims to train 350,000 people from vulnerable communities on rainwater harvesting techniques in the next five years.

The problem

In February 2014 thermometers in São Paulo registered 36.4°C during the day, the hottest February since 1943. Slums in Brazil are vulnerable to climate change effects and challenges, which include these temperature increases and changes in rainfall patterns. These effects have adverse impacts on health and housing system functioning that are central to human existence. Particularly in São Paulo, the problem of water scarcity is already a reality that is likely to be further exacerbated by global warming.

The solution

The Refresca São Paulo project aims to fight heat island effects and its negative impacts by introducing green areas in the city. This will also contribute to the community's food security and livelihood. In addition, this activity aims to green-insulate houses and help prevent morbidity and deaths. These interventions can have micro-draining positive effects that are likely to reduce water runoff and flash floods. In accordance with homeowners, this activity will install and customize a rainwater harvesting system that consists of tanks, hoses, gutters, and organize inflatable wading pool events. Climate comfort and leisure are proposed by greening slums with vertical gardens made of recyclable materials (bamboo, plastic bottles) and fruit vines.

Helping the planet

In an effort to cope with the negative impacts of climate change, Refresca São Paulo has created a greenery strategy to build green areas, plant trees, promote urban agriculture and vertical gardens in Sao Paulo's favelas to ameliorate quality of life and to adapt to climate change. The rainwater harvesting systems will harvest water for drinking. The water can also be used for recreation, irrigation, laundry and cleaning.

Helping people

Refresca São Paulo aims to foster income generation for people in vulnerable communities by enabling them to provide their own community with tools and simple mechanisms for coping and adapting to global warming. This activity will provide trainings on assembling, selling and installing rainwater harvesting systems within and around their neighborhoods. Due to its simplicity and low cost, it will become easily replicable and overcome local boundaries. This activity can provide rainwater harvesting tool kits and fruit plants training for the target population: single mothers and their children, to tackle heat stress in Sao Paulo slums.

Scaling Up

Refresca São Paulo aims to scale up beyond São Paulo's border. Southeast Brazil is facing dramatic rain pattern distortions, increased droughts, floods and other negative impacts that will likely be exacerbated by climate change. Therefore, the amount of growth of this project is directly proportional to the level of climatic resilience they will achieve.