Negotiated water management in Thailand and Brazil

What is it about?

This paper presents the authors' reflections regarding the collaborative studies and discussions on water resources among researchers from Thailand and Brazil. First, the similarities and differences between the countries regarding water resource management and policies are noted. Subsequently, the experiences and challenges of both countries in the negotiated allocation of water resources are discussed. Finally, the researchers comment on the current proposed draft of Thailand's water law based on the experience in Brazil.

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Why is it important?

The transition from centralized to participative water management is considered an important trend in developing countries. However, this transition is difficult because, in particular, it demands a change in the culture of governmental institutions that are charged with water management. In addition, although participatory approaches are highly thought of in water management policies, the transactional costs are significantly high, particularly for developing countries, which might face difficulties universalizing such practices in all basins. In this context, the experiences of Thailand and Brazil reveal different strategies for addressing temporal and spatial scale patterns in negotiated water allocation. Based on the experience of both countries, our paper discussed a normative framework for negotiated allocation that may be one useful method (among others) to begin effecting these changes.

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