This article presents a study of the scientific knowledge in water management and their applications in social and political practice. The paper develops concepts of the formation of knowledge in mathematics, empirical science, and social sciences. The vision for solving water shortages problems in the 1970s and 1990s presented. Changes in vision, due to paradigm shifts, become evident. Thereafter, the paper develops the knowledge of the ideal pyramid for political decision. The decision process, outlined in the classic pyramid shape, the base starts with data collection to apply in hydrological sciences, towards the top where a political decision concluded. The message of the article is that scientific knowledge generated provides the support for the water management model practiced in Brazil. Challenges in the pursuit of new knowledge to manage the dynamics of the uses of water resource discussed.
Water management; Decision making; Building knowledge
