ROUNDTABLES

PARTICIPATORY WATER MANAGEMENT: THE ROLE OF BASIN ORGANISATIONS

For this dialogue, the participants proposed to clarify how the establishment of the Basin Organisations, as a means of promoting the approach and involvement of society in the management of water resources worldwide, induced and stimulated a behavioral change.

For them, there are challenges that range from the strategic importance of the Central and South American region that holds 25% of the world’s water resources and how the Basin Organisations play a prominent role, as well as to contemplate the Brazilian and South American diversity in the constitution of the Basin Organisations.

It was emphasized that facing the changes taking place in the world, there is a need for answers to society, and this need is in innovation and interaction networks, that is, it is not possible to manage water resources only in a sectorial way and it is necessary to ensure the dialogue and representativeness in Basin Organisations involving all segments of society.

Several important points of water management challenges were highlighted, such as groundwater aquifers and their surface water integration policies, which Basin Organisations should address and strengthen possible solutions.

As recommendations, the panelists and participants unanimously affirmed the issue of the necessary efficient communication between the actors of each basin and that these actors need to be empowered through the integration and sharing of actions.

It was also mentioned in the debates that it is necessary to create pacts for water allocation in times of scarcity and that the role of the Basin Organisations in this scenario is extremely important, hence the importance of accelerating the implementation of the Committees in the main rivers as a way of more participatory and effective management.

The final comments focused on the need to know well the basin where they live and to develop a communication that enables pacts between the various interests. The speakers concluded that the basin organisations have begun the process of building the national water resources policy and are still deliberative.