Priority of Water Allocation during Drought Periods: The Case of Jaguaribe Metropolitan Inter-Basin Water Transfer in Semiarid Brazil

Ályson Brayner Sousa Estácio, Maria Aparecida Melo Rocha, Marcílio Caetano de Oliveira, Samiria Maria Oliveira da Silva, Francisco de Assis de Souza Filho and Ticiana Marinho de Carvalho Studart
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Ályson Brayner Sousa Estácio: Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza 60400-900, CE, Brazil
Maria Aparecida Melo Rocha: Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza 60400-900, CE, Brazil
Marcílio Caetano de Oliveira: Ceará Water Resources Management Company, Fortaleza 60824-140, CE, Brazil
Samiria Maria Oliveira da Silva: Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza 60400-900, CE, Brazil
Francisco de Assis de Souza Filho: Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza 60400-900, CE, Brazil
Ticiana Marinho de Carvalho Studart: Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza 60400-900, CE, Brazil

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-17

Abstract: Inter-basin water transfers are the root of many conflicts, and water scarcity accentuates them. Those conflicts involve the priority of water use between regions. The Jaguaribe Metropolitan system, located in the Brazilian semiarid region, presents conflicts amongst different water users: irrigated perimeters, industry, and households. This paper analyzed the Jaguaribe Metropolitan water transfer during the 2012–2018 drought by considering environmental and societal aspects. Changes in consumption and users’ drought perception were assessed. The results showed that the drought was longer and more severe in the region that provided water (i.e., Jaguaribe) than in the region that received it (i.e., FMR). Jaguaribe irrigators were aware of the beginning of the drought, but it did not result in immediate consumption control. On the other hand, drought perception was delayed in the FMR. The results of this study suggested that the water allocation decision-making process should include not only the water demands but also the characteristics of the drought and how people perceive it. The main strategy for improving water governance seems to be promoting integrated regional planning and the empowerment of participatory management.

Keywords: priority of use; human supply; water scarcity; water conflict (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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