Robustez e rede entre atores para resolução de conflitos na governança de sistemas hídricos.

Abstract

Water resources are increasingly subject to stress and uncertainty. It is therefore necessary to discuss water governance capable of dealing with these challenges at different planning levels, such as water systems formed by reservoirs. The aim of this research is to propose a methodology that integrates robustness and an actor-network analysis framework for water governance analysis to resolve conflicts. The analysis was conducted in a Brazilian water system formed, among others, by the Epitácio Pessoa Reservoir in Paraíba. This system is located in a semiarid region and has experienced two severe water crises in recent decades. It receives water from the São Francisco River Integration Project (PISF), is subject to multiple water uses, and has been undergoing a negotiated water allocation process since 2019. This is one of the central interests of this research. Three methodological tools are being integrated in order to achieve an interdisciplinary analysis path that makes it possible to view the water system through different lenses. Firstly, the Robustness Framework for Socio Ecological Systems (ARSS) will be used as a heuristic tool to characterize the systems and the interactions between the components that make them up. Next, the system will be analyzed using the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to identify the network between actors, the actors' preferences, and the power between these actors. Finally, the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution (GMCR) will search for desirable states to solve water conflicts. The ARSS revealed the complexity of water governance in the Epitácio Pessoa System due to the large number of users and public infrastructure providers, which requires a great deal of coordination. This tool also highlighted the importance of understanding the interactions between system components and the impacts of exogenous factors, both ecological and social. Using ANT, analyzing the negotiated allocation of water in the Epitácio Pessoa System was possible, revealing the complexity of controversies over water resources and the formation of networks of human and non-human actors. The analysis highlighted the lack of attention to smaller reservoirs, institutional absences, and power relations established mainly by management agencies and the water company. The modeling carried out in the GMCR showed that the way actors expressed their preferences in the negotiated water allocations, the scenarios for reducing disagreements between them involve increasing the allocated flow and not adhering to the agreements made. However, even with the GMCR, it was possible to define strategies to seek more sustainable scenarios. In conclusion, the proposed methodological framework enabled an in-depth analysis of aspects of SEP water governance and provided guidelines for improving this system.