Freshwater, a vital necessity to human beings and one of the most important resources to development of nations, has been either scarce or in large state of degradation in many places in the world, including Brazil. The main challenge is the sustainable management of water supplies and demand in order to allow the current and coming generations to use it as well. The supply management implies policies of identification and development of new sources of water and demand, introduction of instruments to promote its conservation and efficient use. In Brazil, regulations about this subject were created in the 30s, based on a centered model and under strong influence of electrical sector. Along with the Brazilian Constitution in 1988, a new system of management was created: integrated, democratic and decentralized, having the hydrographic basin as reference to management. This system combines the application of several different mechanisms of regulation, using command-and-control approach, economic instruments and environmental education. The planning is shared among government, civil organizations and users, with integrated decisions about development, use of water, sanitation and environment, involving a diversity of agents with contradictory objectives, which means ones interests are the others regulators. This article analyses the implementation of the system in Brazil and in State of São Paulo, discuss its basic features, delineates the differences between both models, points the main problems and how they have been treated.
Natural resources; freshwater; public policy; integrated management; basin committees
