The World Bank Group has approved a US$119.2 million project to help the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina reduce flood risks and strengthen its capacity to prepare for and respond to weather-related disasters. The initiative aims to enhance climate resilience while safeguarding communities, economic activity and employment in one of the country’s most flood-prone regions.
The project is expected to benefit around 420,000 people in 54 municipalities, with a particular focus on low-income populations living in areas exposed to flooding. By improving flood protection and disaster management, the investment seeks to reduce the social and economic impacts of increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
Santa Catarina is one of Brazil’s main industrial and agricultural hubs, with manufacturing, technology and agribusiness playing a central role in its economy. The Itajaí Valley, which accounts for roughly one-third of the state’s jobs, is also home to the Port of Itajaí, a major gateway for container traffic and beef exports. However, the region faces significant exposure to floods and landslides.
According to the World Bank, disasters between 1991 and 2023 caused economic losses exceeding US$7.2 billion across Santa Catarina and affected more than 20 million people. During the severe floods of 2008, around 90% of the city of Itajaí was inundated, disrupting port operations for months.
The programme includes river improvement works in the Itajaí Valley, such as channel dredging, embankment reinforcement and floodgates along the Itajaí-Mirim River. It will also support upstream flood control dams as part of a broader state investment strategy.
Additional measures include expanding early warning systems across Santa Catarina, improving coordination between climate monitoring services and civil defence agencies, and developing flood management approaches that combine conventional infrastructure with nature-based solutions. The initiative forms part of the state’s US$1 billion Proteção Levada a Sério (Protection Taken Seriously) programme and was prepared with support from the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR).
