Analysis of Water Governance by the Alto do Tietê River Basin Committee (São Paulo)

• Grant number: 24/21735-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Ana Paula Fracalanza
• Grantee: Agnes Kissimoto
• Host Institution: Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades (EACH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The State Law of São Paulo No. 7.663, of 1991, established the State Water Resources Policy and the Water Resources Management System in the state of São Paulo. This Law created the River Basin Committees (CBH), which aim to manage conflicts over water. Currently, there are 21 CBHs implemented in the state of São Paulo, with the Alto Tietê River Basin Committee (CBHAT), created in 1994, is the one that is operating in the Alto Tietê river basin area, which covers 34 of the 39 municipalities of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (RMSP). Its management is proposed as participatory, decentralized and seeks integration of government levels. However, after 30 years of its creation, it is essential to evaluate the advances and challenges in the institution of the CBHAT, especially in relation to the current management method. This research project aims to analyze how the CBHAT has contributed to water governance in the RMSP. The research hypothesis is that, although this Committee has established an important body for participatory water management in the state of São Paulo, there are still difficulties in implementing its actions. By analyzing meetings minutes, deliberations, representation, participation of representatives and projects financed by CBHAT resources between 2002 and 2024, it will be possible to compare the data found with the water governance by the Hydrographic Basin Committee, from 1994 onwards, described in Fracalanza's doctoral thesis (2002). As a result, it is expected to contribute to building bases that assist in the discussion of water governance in the state of São Paulo, within the scope of the CBH.