13ème Congrès Mondial de l'Eau, Montpellier, France

abstract 78

FROM REVINDICATION TO PROPOSITION: CAPACITY BUILDING IN NEGOTIATION ABOUT WATER MANAGEMENT IN PERIURBAN AREAS.

Author(s): THE "TERAGUAS" APPROACH IN SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
Author(s): Raphaèle Ducrot, Vilma Barban
Raphaèle Ducrot (1), Vilma Barban (2) (1) Corresponding author : UMR G-EAU / Cirad-ES. Visiting scientist IEA/USP Av Prof Luciano Gualberto, Travessa J, 374 Terreo ; Cidade Universitaria 05508-900 ; São Paulo - SP Bresil . Tel / Fax 00 55 11 3812

Keyword(s): periurban catchment, negotiation, capacity building, companion modeling, land and water issues

Article:

Poster:

Session: OS8a Capacity building

AbstractThe continuous growth of Brazilian cities is resulting in increased pressure on their

periurban catchments as in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. In the southern Guarapiranga catchment the

spreading of illegal settlements without sanitation is affecting the quality of one of the water drinking reservoir that

supply water for a third of the city population.
During the last decade a new water policy based on the integrated

water management principles has being implemented to promote more participative management of the resource at

catchment level, but the functioning of the discussion bodies are weakened by the limited representation of local

communities, high social inequalities and asymmetry of information and decision power. When there is any contact

with the public sector, the role of residents’ representatives is generally limited to listening to presentations of existing

plans or explanations from the water company or the municipality. Paternalism is typical of the government’s

approach and local residents’ associations for their part have little interaction among them and severely compete with

one another to get more material advantages from the municipality. In such a context, promoting a real dialogue

between these actors on a complex issue is particularly challenging.
The aims of this contribution is to present

how an adapted companion modeling approach based on participative modeling can help to strengthen negotiation

capacity of the local representatives, build a joint representation of the issues of water and land management

between actors and contribute to explore new solutions.
The methodology is based in a companion modeling

approach that was applied in two steps. The first one was for the development of tools integrating the interests and

point of views of the different actors. In particular a computerized role playing games named Ter’Aguas was

developed and tested with a focus group. This focus group also contributed to test other tools and dialogue supports

for mapping land and water issues or actors.
Based on these tools, a simplified companion modeling process was

developed to be implemented with local stakeholders in order to prepare them for negotiations related to land and

water management in the area with other actors. The process was implemented twice : once to prepare some

communities in participating in municipal land planning and secondly, on demand of one municipality, to contribute to

negotiations about the implementation of a controversial sanitation infrastructure. Both processes were monitored

and a ex-post assessment has been implemented.
The assessment indicates that the process did contribute to

individual and collective learning process about water management issues. It also contributed to change

representations about the system as a whole including about the interests of actors, to the rapprochement of the

different actors and to explore alternative solutions.
The methodology thus offers interesting potentialities for

capacity building, empowerment and mobilization of the different actors at local level of catchment management. The

difficulty for the institutionalization and dissemination of such an intervention is discussed.

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FROM REVINDICATION TO PROPOSITION: CAPACITY BUILDING IN NEGOTIATION ABOUT WATER MANAGEMENT IN PERIURBAN AREAS.