Gestão das águas: Experiências internacional e brasileira

Many conflicts currently take place around the world due to disputes over water use. In many major river basins of the world, water is increasingly scarce. In Brazil, some regions face problems of water deficiency, such as the Northeastern semi-arid region and some metropolitan areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the water management system in Brazil. The management of water resources started a new phase with the approval of Brazilian Law 9433/97, which deals with the Brazilian water resources Policy. Certainly, some of the innovations introduced by this new legal and institutional arrangement resulted in improvements in water management in Brazil and, consequently, promoted its' more sustainable use. However, there are still aspects to be improved including promotion of equity in access to water, improvements in system management, increased efficiency in water use and and greater usage of alternative sources of water to further enhance the water availability in Brazil, specially in the more water-scarce regions.