1. Using a Census Survey to Discover Affected Population Needs

Developers of the 1450 MW Ita Hydroelectric Power Plant in Brazil adopted a simple, resourceful resettlement tool – the census survey – for identifying those affected by project construction. The use of the survey resulted in significant social and environmental improvement and avoided considerable costs for the developers. In developing the 1450 MW Ita Hydroelectric Power Plant, Tractebel Energia S.A. created a simple census survey that proved helpful in the resettlement process. The survey gave investors a better understanding of the social, economical, political, and cultural aspects of the town of Ita and surrounding areas that would be flooded by the reservoir. Through the survey, the developers were able to identify the exact number of families affected by the power plant, making it possible to plan the best alternatives for resettlement. Ita's successful relocation program can be attributed to the census survey, developed by a team of sociologists, social assistants, architects, engineers, and economists. Its application achieves social and environmental improvement and avoided considerable costs for Ita's developers. Because of this, developers of other regional and national resettlement projects have employed the survey.