Water governance in small municipality: analysis from the socioecological system and Ostrom's principles

Abstract

This research analyzed the water governance in the reservoir responsible for supplying the urban area of a small municipality: São Miguel, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. In order to do so, document analysis and participant observation were performed to investigate the socioecological system in the context of water collapse that affects the city and to verify compliance with the Ostrom's institutional principles for the water governance in this locality. It was found that the scarcity of water resources is the result of an non-sustainable system which has a climate reality that is not well managed. Part of the resource units face prolonged shortage; the governance system has a deficient performance; and the actors suffer the negative impacts of this performance through the lack of water. Water governance resources in the main reservoir for urban supply is weakened, but advances have been made in the negotiated water allocation process. The outcomes allowed us to detect the reality of the water governance in the study area and demonstrate the need for improvements. Among them is the concrete and assertive performance of the organizations directly or indirectly responsible for the water issue of São Miguel, Rio Grande do Norte.

Keywords:
water management; semiarid; water allocation