Performance of water resources management among northeastern Brazilian states: an evaluation based on PROGESTÃO targets

Abstract

The Program for the Consolidation of the National Water Management Pact (Programa de Consolidação do Pacto Nacional pela Gestão das Águas – PROGESTÃO), coordinated by Brazil’s National Water and Sanitation Agency (Agência Nacional de Águas e Saneamento Básico – ANA), is a collaborative initiative involving all Brazilian federation units. It aims to enhance articulation and strengthen institutional cooperation to address common challenges and promote sustainable water resource use. This study evaluates the performance, measured by adherence to program targets and annual certification scores, of four Northeastern Brazilian states (Maranhão, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, and Sergipe), all categorized under Typology B, characterized by a satisfactory quali-quantitative balance in most basins, water uses concentrated in a few basins with critical areas, and incidence of conflicts over water use confined to those critical areas. Employing a descriptive, exploratory, and qualitative research approach, the study reveals that, although these states encountered difficulties in meeting certain objectives, the program’s benefits are evident. Notably, it has strengthened State Water Resource Management Systems, expanded access to systematized water resources information, and enhanced policy implementation. Sergipe stands out, having achieved 95.31% of its Progestão targets across the first two cycles, thereby securing substantial financial support from the program, reinforcing accountability and driving systematic improvements in water resources management. Rio Grande do Norte followed with 94.85%, while Maranhão (86.58%) and Piauí (77.09%) demonstrated lower but still meaningful levels of target adherence. The study underscores the Progestão program’s fundamental role in advancing sustainable water management practices within Northeast Brazil, offering critical insights for policy-making and institutional development in water resource governance, while acknowledging the limits of formal target compliance as a proxy for real-world management effectiveness.