To be honest, we weren't sure ourselves what constituted participation and how to make ex ante judgments about it. So we decided to let the water companies define it and go with their definitions. Then we would use structured learning to keep abreast of what was happening so that we could systematically learn from this experience. It is now just over two years since my first mission on this project. Some sixty-odd subprojects are now underway that account for 65 percent of the original project cost estimate.
None is complete, although some are in the advanced stages of construction.
As expected, different interpretations of participation are being used and the subprojects are being designed using different techniques. The most commonly used approaches, however, involve two different versions of community negotiations. The first starts with the design and then negotiates it with the community. The second starts with community involvement from which the design emerges. Morro is in a satellite city close to Rio.