The role of municipal committees in the development of an integrated urban water policy in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

摘要

This paper discusses the challenges involved in adopting an integrated approach to urban waternpolicies and management, a particularly problematic issue in Brazil due to the incomplete naturenof urbanization, defined as the lack of adequate and/or universalized access to infrastructure andnservices, informal housing and conflicts between environmental protection and social housingnneeds. In the last two decades strong social movements have influenced urban environmentalnpolicies from national to local levels. In Belo Horizonte since 1993, decision-making processesnhave involved important mechanisms of democratic inclusion, which have contributed to fairernurban policies. A brief discussion of the concept of governance follows, introducing the municipalnurban policy within which drainage and sanitation policies have been implemented. This papernpresents the constitutional and institutional role of the five municipal committees dealing withnwater governance issues, as they are important arenas for civil society participation. The mainnconstraints to achieving integrated urban water governance at the local level and the extent tonwhich such policies are able to reduce social inequalities and promote social environmentalnjustice in the use and appropriation of urban water, are discussed. This paper is part of thenSWITCH—Sustainable Water Management Improves Tomorrow’s Cities’ Health—research network.