The water resources management in France and Brazil with focus on water basins and its territorial systems

Abstract

This paper presents the management of water resources in France and Brazil by the similarity in their concepts on the management of water resources, and features the French experience as an important reference in the institutionalization of new management practices and Brazil as the basis for establishing not only the new state management apparatuses, but also the very formulation of the National Water Resources Policy. In France the CLE (Local Commissions of Water) have great importance and participation within the basin committees and, the meeting of municipal governments around a watershed facilitates decision making as to investments in common sanitation to more of a municipality. This would be an important difference between the two terms: in Brazil the "CLE" instance doesn’t exist, and mayors engage very little with the basin committees. Governments, by agreement, may decide to award public services in their territories and alleviate problems and prevent disasters.