NGO-State Collaboration in Water Resources Management at the Local Level: The Case of Comitê Gravataí, Brazil

GUTIÉRREZ, RICARDO A.

Baltimore

Congreso; Middle Atlantic Graduate Student Conference on Latin America at JHU; 2002

Johns Hopkins University

In 1997, the Brazilian federal government enacted a new national water law (Law 9433) aimed, among other things, to enhance the participation of users and civil society organizations in water management at the river basin level. But under what conditions can civil society organizations actively participate in water resources management at the local level? To answer this question I focus on the case of Comitê Gravataí, one of the few Brazilian basin committees where NGOs have had a leading role since the committee?s creation. I argue that one of the most important factors to explain the high participation of NGOs in Comitê Gravataí has been the existence of a body of state "técnicos" not only willing to interact with NGOs? members but also crucial in introducing the new participatory management model. Paradoxically, the successful participation of NGOs in the committee would not have been possible had that body of "técnicos" been unavailable.