Abstract
Humans have historically chosen to develop their cities close to rivers due to the need for water and food security. In Brazil, water security represents a growing challenge, despite advances in the National Water Resources Management System. While municipalities are responsible for integrating the various public policies that impact urban rivers, such as the environment, basic sanitation, and urban planning, only states and the federal government, along with watershed committees, have a formal role in the National Water Resources Management System. The goal of this paper is to assess the Brazilian water governance system from the perspective of municipalities. The OECD water governance framework is applied to a medium-sized Brazilian municipality (c. 200,000 inhabitants), Itabuna, Bahia state, through perception-based and objective data. Studies dealing with water governance do not address this reality, despite representing more than 90% Brazilian municipalities and approximately half of the country’s population. Several water governance failures were identified, such as connections between administrative and political failures, which highlight the tragic consequences of hydrological issues in this region. Developing integrated water resources’ management, as fixed in national and state laws, depends on the effective participation of the municipality. This study discusses the importance of water governance at the municipal scale.
Highlights
Brazil holds the largest surface freshwater reserve in the world and has a modern legal and institutional framework to manage its water resources
Our results show that there is a weakness in the legal framework and in the development of the National Water Resources Management System regarding the role of municipalities, which is reflected in Itabuna and in municipalities in the region
Since this failure refers to management scales, the present study shed light on problems related to the municipal scale, allowing us to discuss water governance at the municipal level
Summary
Brazil holds the largest surface freshwater reserve in the world and has a modern legal and institutional framework to manage its water resources. Water Resources Policy, created in 1997, is inspired by the French model and based on international principles that guide sustainable development and integrated water resources’. Brazil is a signatory of the AGENDA 2030 and the development of its SDG 6 “Water and Sanitation” has been monitored by international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) [4]. The OECD Water Governance Initiative has followed Brazilian advances in the development of its National Water Resources Management System for more than a decade [5,6,7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
