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W
ater
C
ooperation
, S
ustainability
and
P
overty
E
radication
wide. On one hand, the envisioned system of water governance in
Brazil must be capable of avoiding gaps or overlaps in the regula-
tion of water uses across federal and state water jurisdictions. On
the other, it must reach out to local actors and municipal govern-
ments that, despite not being in charge of regulating water users, are
directly responsible for strategic water-related policies such as water
supply, sanitation and urban planning.
Coordination among local actors is facilitated by collaborative
water governance strategies applied at the regional level by deliber-
ative water forums. Nevertheless, there is still a vacuum of political
agreements between the federal government and the states, the
latter exercising an overwhelming control over water resources
in Brazil. Progress in this direction has been hampered by many
factors – for instance, party politics have narrowed the opportuni-
ties for long-standing alliances throughout election cycles. But by
looking ahead we can see new possibilities for water cooperation
in Brazil’s federal system.
First, it is necessary to recognize that state water systems are
the main gears of Brazil’s water governance engine. Apart from
the streams of water shared by two or more states and reservoirs
built by the federal government, all inland waters, including all
groundwater reserves, fall under state jurisdiction.
Strengthening water governance at the state level is,
therefore, the starting point for any future progress
toward IWRM in Brazil. Only then will it be possible
to integrate the actions undergone by the states in a
coherent way, according to a long-term view and under
a broad national strategy.
This is the rationale behind the most recent political
agreement between federal and state water authorities.
The National Pact for Water Resources Management
represents an outstanding political achievement,
revealing that state water managers are keen to make
commitments under a national agreement as long as
they retain autonomy to implement their water policies
and have an opportunity to improve their own systems.
Most important, however, is the strategy outlined for
the National Pact’s implementation. State governments
will be invited to sign up to it on a voluntary basis. They
will issue state decrees to formalize their commitments
to cooperate with federal and other state water authori-
ties. Then, another process will be initiated at the state
Tree planting campaign involving school children
Image: Rossini Sena courtesy of the National Water Agency