SOCIAL PARTICIPATION ON FEDERAL DISTRICT’S HYDRIC GOVERNANCE OVERVIEW

Abstract

The general action guideline of the national and district policies for water resources is the coordination between water resources planning and the industries that use water, introducing new decentralized and participative management paradigms which aim to bring value to society in the decision-making process. The goal of this study is to understand the water governance from the Federal District residents' perspective, in order to identify the degree of social engagement in district administration. The methodology comprised the analysis of 200 questionnaires filled out by residents of the Federal District. The results revealed that a significant portion of the respondents had no knowledge of the instruments used and are not involved in water resources governance. That the level of education has a positive — although not decisive — effect on one’s decision to take part in the process. The main reasons leading to this situation are the shortcomings in the communication process, the formal nature of the discussion fora and the historical lack of social involvement observed in the Brazilian collective.