Instituto de Sustentabilidade e Eficiência Energética Puxirum - A2E Fund

The Agrovila and Julião communities are located within the Tupé Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS do Tupé), in the Brazilian Amazon. This remote area faces significant environmental and infrastructural challenges, including prolonged droughts, difficult transportation, and fragile public services. Frequent power outages and water shortages disrupt everyday life, affecting health, education, and livelihoods. Despite these difficulties, the communities are deeply connected to the natural environment and committed to sustainable development practices that preserve local ecosystems while improving quality of life.

Brazil
Agrovila and Julião, Tupé Sustainable Development Reserve, Manaus, Amazonas

The project seeks to guarantee continuous access to safe drinking water for around 1,072 residents (268 families) in Agrovila and Julião through sustainable, community-driven solutions. It responds to the instability of the rural electricity network and the limitations of existing water systems, which have failed to provide reliable access to essential resources. The intervention focuses on rehabilitating the local water infrastructure—intake, storage, and distribution—while replacing the unreliable grid connection with a solar-powered pumping system to increase energy autonomy and system resilience.

In addition to technical improvements, the initiative will build local capacity by training community leaders in the operation, maintenance, and management of the systems. A community-based governance model will be established, supported by a local association and a revolving maintenance fund, ensuring long-term sustainability. By integrating solar photovoltaic technology with rehabilitated water systems and promoting women’s participation in management, the project delivers a resilient, clean, and inclusive solution adapted to the socio-environmental context of the Amazon.
 

Expected outputs:

• Rehabilitation of the community water supply system, including intake, storage, distribution, and installation of a solar-powered pumping system
• Creation of a sustainability model based on shared community management, supported by a local association and a maintenance fund, promoting female participation and responsible resource use
• Training workshops for 20 people on system operation, maintenance, and community management
• Community education activities on conscious water and energy use
• Capacity-building involving residents from six neighboring communities to act as knowledge multipliers, from diagnosis to monitoring
• Enabled continuous access to potable water and ensured water security
• Enhanced energy self-sufficiency, lower carbon emissions, and resilience to power interruptions
• Improved hygiene, reduced waterborne diseases, and better quality of life
• Greater local empowerment, technical knowledge, and strengthened community management
• Behavioral change towards sustainable natural resource use and heightened environmental awareness