Abstract
ABSTRACT The present work consists in a study on the performance of usage charge as a management tool in the São Francisco River Basin in the period between 2010 and 2013, according to the objectives defined by the law 9.433/97. The objectives of this study considers: assessment of user participation in the amounts billed and type of use; comparative analysis of charged and collected amounts in the basin to observe user compliance to payments; analysis of the application of financial resources obtained from the revenue particularly the actions set forth by the basin investment plan, review of the evolution of uses: withdrawal, consumption, organic load discharge to assess the influence of usage charge on the rational use of water resources and comparison of pricing mechanisms of the Paraíba do Sul river, Piracicaba-Capivari-Jundiaí rivers, Doce river and São Francisco river basins for major uses. It is noted that the compliance by users to the usage charge is increasing gradually. Even though over 91% of the payments were on time by users in 2013, the financial resources obtained and the management to employ them do not meet the actual needs for investments in the basin conservation actions. With regards to the use of water withdrawal it is not observed the effect of the usage charge. For the uses of consumption and organic load discharge, the results were minor but positive. It is recommended a review of the reference flow and parameters of charging for water resources uses, and also it is suggested a study of the mechanisms of usage charge models implemented in the Paraíba do Sul river, Piracicaba-Capivari-Jundiaí river and Doce river basins, which uses the granted and measured flows for adjustments in the usage charge model, in the São Francisco river basin. All in all, the implementation of water usage charge in the São Francisco River basin despite it being recent, it is a process that will gradually be consolidating and contributing to environmental sustainability of the basin.
Highlights
Given the extreme importance of the São Francisco River in the provision of water to the semi-arid region and the need for environmental recovery of degraded areas to mitigate the impacts on water resources, this article aims to analyze the performance of charging for water usage as a water resources management tool within the São Francisco River Basin, as an encouragement of a more rational water usage and the provision of financial resources to enable actions of the water resources Master Plan of the basin
The calculation methodology proposed by the São Francisco River Basin Committee to charge for withdrawal, consumption and discharge of effluents, follows the guidelines established in the National Water Resources Policy, which determines that the usage charge will focus on the uses subject to grant
The charged amounts were obtained based on the information provided in reports by AGB Peixe Vivo and approved by the ANA
Summary
Water is an essential resource used as a raw material to supply human, industry, irrigation, power generation and as a means of support in the case of navigation and fishing, as well as being the final destination for waste.Water resources have suffered from the increasing localized demand, due to population growth, accelerated industrialization processes and urbanization, uneven distribution in Brazil, in addition to the expansion of irrigated agriculture in the country, registered in Brazil from the second half of the XX Century (SETTI et al, 2001).In this scenario, it stands out as positive the structuring of the water resources sector management in Brazil, aiming to comply with social-environmental and economic demands of a developing country (AZEVEDO et al, 2003).The proper valuation of water resources is essential to encourage the rational and sustainable use of water (WORLD WATER FORUM, 2012) and shows the need to reconcile the economic development with social and environmental sustainability (HESPANHOL, 2008).As a public good, only the public sector can promote this valuation in all its dimensions. Water resources have suffered from the increasing localized demand, due to population growth, accelerated industrialization processes and urbanization, uneven distribution in Brazil, in addition to the expansion of irrigated agriculture in the country, registered in Brazil from the second half of the XX Century (SETTI et al, 2001). In this scenario, it stands out as positive the structuring of the water resources sector management in Brazil, aiming to comply with social-environmental and economic demands of a developing country (AZEVEDO et al, 2003). It is up to it to promote the regulation, supervision and charging for the use of water, combined with incentive policies for rational use (RAMOS; FORMIGA‐JOHNSSON, 2012)
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