Banca de DEFESA: PEDRO HENRIQUE FARIAS VIANNA

WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE NORTHERN REGION: SCOPE AND TRANSPARENCY OF ADMINISTRATIVE ACTS BY STATE COUNCILS

North Region Water Management. Public administration. Transparency

Water security is widely recognized as one of the greatest challenges to social and economic development and with increasing water scarcity, deteriorating quality and inappropriate use, the management of water resources in the Northern Region is becoming more challenging. Radical thinking about water has become necessary due to severe water mismanagement in the country, often leading to unavoidable crisis situations. The general objective of the work is to evaluate the scope and transparency of the State Councils responsible for the management of Water Resources in the North Region. For the development of this work, the minutes of the meetings, resolutions and ordinances of the State Councils were evaluated, obtained through the institutional website of each responsible body, or, when not found, requested via the Electronic System of the Citizen Information Service. Subsequently, the documents were organized, according to the extraordinary and ordinary meetings, and the tabulations differentiating the deliberations of the administrative acts by approving and normative acts in accordance with the current legislation of each Council. The assessment of the scope and transparency of the State Councils responsible for the management of Water Resources in the North region reveals a worrying scenario, with only two states partially complying with the legal requirements. The lack of transparency compromises society's participation and the effectiveness of preservation policies. In addition, the State Councils' ability to act was evaluated negatively, with the majority not fulfilling their obligations established in the competencies and management instruments. The lack of effectiveness of the State Information Systems and the insufficient dissemination of information are also worrying. It is essential that measures be taken to strengthen transparency, access to information and the councils' ability to act, with a view to protecting water resources and sustainable development in the region.