Conflicts over the use of water: an analysis of the actions of the Basin Committees of the Paraguay Hydrographic Region.

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.317532524022

• Palavras-chave: Water resource management. River Basin Committees. Paraguay River Hydrographic Region. Pantanal.

• Keywords: Water resource management. River Basin Committees. Paraguay River Hydrographic Region. Pantanal.

• Abstract:

  The driving forces acting in the Paraguay River Hydrographic Region (RH Paraguay) generate direct and indirect pressures on water resources, causing qualitative and quantitative impacts that result in water crises and conflicts, which emerge for discussion and the search for solutions in the Hydrographic Basin Committees (CBHs).  These pressures and conflicts occur mainly due to the expansion of deforestation for agriculture, inadequate land use, lack of basic sanitation, mining, intensive use of pesticides and fertilizers on the plateau, large-scale shipping and dams for hydroelectric power generation, all of which compromise the multiple uses of water. In addition to these factors, there are also management failures by the institutions responsible, which affects governance and negatively influences environmental conservation, the maintenance of ecosystem services and human well-being. In this context, this study aimed to analyze the topics of discussion and decision, as well as the main conflicts over the use of water resources in the RH Paraguay, based on an analysis of the minutes of meetings of the six active CBHs. The methodological procedures were: a) documentary analysis of the minutes of the CBHs; b) identification and characterization of the social groups represented in the committees and c) content analysis of the conflicts discussed in the committees. The documents analyzed consisted of 157 minutes from the Cabaçal River (15), Jauru (12), Cuiabá River Left Bank (22), São Lourenço (24), Sepotuba (66) committees in Mato Grosso and the Miranda River (18) in Mato Grosso do Sul. In general, the Public Power social group made up the majority of representatives, followed by Civil Society and, to a lesser extent, Water Users. The conflicts identified were: availability of water resources, especially in the CBHs of the Sepotuba and São Lourenço rivers, and water quality in the Miranda, Cabaçal, Cuiabá and Jauru CBHs. Thus, in the Paraguay RH as a whole, conflicts over the supply and demand of water resources (41%), degradation of APPs (30%), loss of quality due to the discharge of effluents (20%) and regulation of an explicitly political nature (8%) stood out. It was concluded that the conflicts refer to the appropriation of water resources by a social group, based on power relations that favor the interests of large users, to the detriment of other groups and, therefore, without considering the principle of multiple uses of water, as determined by the National Water Resources Policy.