FROM POLICY TO PRACTICE: A SOCIO-HYDROLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WATER MANAGEMENT INSTRUMENTS IN BRAZIL
Keywords:
socio-hydrology, water governance, basin committees, river basin management, stakeholder participation, : Water ManagementAbstract
Water governance in Brazil has been structured around the management instruments established by the National Water Resources Policy, implemented at the river basin scale and supported by the role of Basin Committees as participatory decision-making bodies. However, analyses of water resources management often emphasize normative and institutional aspects, without considering the historical processes and the interactions between society and the hydrological system that shape its evolution. In this context, this article proposes a socio-hydrological interpretation of the evolution of water governance in the state of Paraná (Brazil). The analysis is based on the systematization of the creation and functioning of Basin Committees and on a synthetic socio-hydrological analysis of the basins, considering hydrological characteristics, water use demands and institutional aspects. The results reveal differences in the level of institutional consolidation among basins and indicate that the evolution of water management presents periods of stagnation and moments of inflection that occur differently across basins, even when they share similar characteristics. The study concludes that the socio-hydrological perspective contributes to understanding water governance as a dynamic process and can support the strengthening of integrated and decentralized water management.
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