The Piancó-Piranhas Açu River basin

In the Piancó-Piranhas Açu River basin demand for water exceeds supply. Human consumption and irrigation draw heavily on available resources, which are constrained due to drought and intermittent rivers and pollution from domestic sewage. The institutional framework and governance structure for water charges in this area are under development, including strengthening stakeholder participation into the basin committee’s activities and the awareness raising around water scarcity. The São Francisco River’s water transfer project (Projeto de Integração do Rio São Francisco, PISF) is paving the way for a concrete discussion on the implementation of water charges as they would impact of user behaviour and raise revenue for water management.