Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: GLEICE OZANA OLIVEIRA LIMA CASTRO

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : GLEICE OZANA OLIVEIRA LIMA CASTRO
DATE: 11/12/2025
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: Online
TITLE:

Analysis of public policies related to water for water security in Brazil.

KEY WORDS:

Water security; public policies; conflicts over water use.

PAGES: 30
BIG AREA: Ciências Sociais Aplicadas
AREA: Planejamento Urbano e Regional
SUMMARY:

UNICEF (2022) links the increase in water scarcity and water contamination to climate change and also lists ten water-related consequences generated by these changes, such as the likelihood of droughts, increased disease, contamination of water supplies, etc., of which items 2, 4, 8, and 10 stand out:

Approximately 74% of natural disasters between 2001 and 2018 were water-related, including droughts and floods. The frequency and intensity of such events are expected to increase with climate change. When disasters occur, they can destroy or contaminate entire water supplies, increasing the risk of diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever, to which girls and boys are particularly vulnerable. Climate change exacerbates water stress – areas of extremely limited water resources – leading to greater competition for water, even conflict. Rising sea levels are causing freshwater to become salty, compromising the water resources on which millions of people depend (UNICEF, 2022).

These projections demonstrate the importance of monitoring and accounting for water resources so that water security can be guaranteed for present and future generations.

Among the various concepts related to water security (Tucci; Chagas, 2017; Fracalanza; Alves, 2022; Silva; Jacobi, 2025), this dissertation will consider the concept proposed by the UN, which defines water security as "the guarantee of sustainable access to adequate quantities of water of acceptable quality to sustain livelihoods (...)" (UNU-INWEH, 2013 - Free translation). From this perspective, it is possible to observe that water security encompasses access to water, the guarantee of well-being, and sustainable development. In other words, the definition of water security is linked to the achievement of five goals, according to UNU-INWEH (2013): a) meeting basic needs related to hygiene, health, and sanitation; b) economic production/development; c) protection of ecosystems; d) protection/prevention of disaster risk; and e) geopolitical independence and stability. However, regarding this last item concerning geopolitics, the author Saito (2018) highlights the attention given to disputes that occur in nations due to access to water, leading to the displacement of families from their usual place and promoting migratory flows:

This fifth component in the concept of water security incorporates the most recent concerns about conflicts surrounding access to water, whose scarcity causes, in some regions, population displacements, including to neighboring countries. It also expresses concerns about intergovernmental conflicts in transboundary basins. (Saito, 2018, p. 97)

To address the challenges inherent in water security, the National Water Agency, in partnership with the Ministry of Regional Development, created the National Water Security Plan in 2019. This plan aims to reduce the impacts of droughts and floods in Brazilian territory through planning, monitoring, and attention to climatic events, water consumption, and demand. To this end, the Water Security Index (WSI) was created, which considers four dimensions in its calculation: Human, Economic, Ecosystemic, and Resilience. For calculation purposes, other indicators and variables are also considered, such as consumption, risks, and demand (ANA, 2019).

In Brazil, an increase in water demand was observed between 2020 and 2023 in different sectors, with consumption evolving from an average of 536 billion liters to 1 trillion and 189 billion liters between 1980 and 2021. The forecast for the years 2022 to 2040 indicates a 30% increase, corresponding to an average of 1 trillion and 290 billion liters of water per year, with the irrigated agriculture sector being particularly noteworthy (ANA, 2024a).

Furthermore, due to its territorial extension and the geographical location of Brazilian water reserves, a triangulation is formed that can represent an obstacle to access, water distribution, and water availability. For example, this is the case in the Northern Region of Brazil, which has a greater amount of water resources compared to other regions that operate with the agricultural sector in an intense and growing way (Carmo et al., 2007). However, according to the authors Carmo et al. (2007), it is possible to perceive the increase in soybean cultivation in northern Brazil, which, in addition to having water availability, has rich and diverse vegetation. And this struggle to find a balance in the productive sector generates an imbalance in biodiversity and consequences for communities that reside in regions with abundant water. In this way, it strengthens the promotion of conflict in the dispute over water, considering that it is still a geopolitical problem involving the market, society, and the State, according to Peixoto, Soares, and Ribeiro (2021):

Water conflicts in Brazil have been configured as disputes 

Territorial divisions surrounding their control generate environmental and social impacts in spaces marked by deterritorialization, restructuring of production chains, and the large-scale use of water resources.

Beyond the exploitation of labor, the environmental assets of underdeveloped countries are highly valuable, and Brazil belongs to the club of countries with great natural wealth, which has been transformed or used, especially for the production of commodities (Peixoto, Soares, Ribeiro, 2021, p. 2).

The latest report published by the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT, 2025) showed an increase in the number of rural families who are victims of conflicts caused by access to water; this data only reinforces the consequences that society suffers from the different forms of appropriation and use of water. At the same time, this raises the need for deep and systematic reflection on the true motivations, causes, and those responsible for the conflicts surrounding water, considering that our legal system includes the National Water Resources Policy, created precisely to manage, provide, and control water uses, as well as guarantee proper access for society.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
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Interno - 1555307 - ROBSON DIAS DA SILVA
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