Integrated Water Resources Management in a Federative Country: The Case of Brazil

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the water resources in Brazil: the country that holds 12% of the world's fresh water and has one of the most modern and sophisticated water resources management systems. This system—the National Water Resources Management System (SINGREH)—introduced new paradigms into water management practices in Brazil, such as decentralization, the use of economic tools, and public participation. In particular, this paper describes the roles of the National Water Agency, the institution created to implement such a complex system, taking into account the federative character of the country. In addition, the paper reviews the main challenges of river basin management in Brazil, considering the existence of rivers under different jurisdictions—Federal and State—within a single river basin. The paper then analyses the implementation and evolution of water use charges and the water agency at the Piracicaba, Capivari and Judiaí river basins, as a study case. Those river basins are currently investing R$34 million in actions envisaged at the River Basin Water Plan. At the end, the paper concludes that global changes will bring new and important challenges to water resources management around the world in general, and in Brazil, in particular.