Water conflicts, national laws, and SDG: monitoring for democratic governance

Abstract

The UN 2030 Agenda recognizes, in its 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), the presence of conflicts of different degrees, nature and typology. Following the academic debate, the Agenda considers it important to record conflicts and promote mitigation actions in participatory forums. In this context, the purpose of this article is to present different conceptions, data and forms of manifestation of conflicts over water in the international scenario and, particularly, in Brazil. It also reflects on the possibilities for improvements in register with the advent of the SDGs. Historical data based on platforms, management institutions and other public data of water conflicts are highlighted. Among the results, it is highlighted that the surveys are not periodicals, methodologies are under development stage and the scope is restricted to rural areas. The records of the Comissão Pastoral da Terra (CPT), an organization of the Catholic Church in Brazil, show an increase in the number and types of water conflicts in the countryside, mostly caused by productive activities (mining, energy and agriculture). Among the gaps observed is the lack of a record and monitoring strategy on the part of State institutions, with dependence on voluntary surveys from social organizations and academia.