Unveiling water security in Brazil: current challenges and future perspectives

Abstract

Water crises have risen over the past decade. In the Brazilian context, extreme events have intensified over the country, undermining water systems in regions that already face water shortages. Although previous studies have focussed on individual regions of Brazil, an overview of the entire country will contribute to developing a national action plan for mitigating water inequalities. Therefore, we reviewed and analysed water security in Brazil, presenting a diagnosis focussed on the peculiarities of each geographic region and hydrographic area. One of the biggest threats is the slow pace towards a robust policy for strengthening national water security. As shown here, water security depends on several variables such as availability, quality, and external factors such as climate forcing and anthropogenic pressure. Therefore, water governance needs to integrate human needs with ecosystem functioning, considering climate uncertainties to move towards better water resources planning.