Water is one of the natural resources most impacted by the development model adopted in Brazil. This is related to the widespread sense that water is abundant in the country, which makes it difficult to fully engage all levels of government. However, this sense of abundance also obscures the real problems of pollution, demand, availability and water resources conflicts. This study aims to strengthen water management and contribute to the evaluation of the processes of development in the northeast region of the state of Pará. This study uses Hydrographic Basin Sustainability Indices to consider the hydrological, environmental, social and water resources management situation of the Moju River Basin and to suggest a payment model for the use of its water resources. The results indicate that the existing framework of water use regulation is characterized by moderate sustainability and governance scores and a low degree of collection of fees for the use of water. In general, with the increase in the number of enterprises authorized to withdraw water from and release effluents into the river, there is a lack of information about water demand and availability. The water governance framework is characterized by poorly integrated environmental and water management common to most Amazonian municipalities. Thus, the Moju River Basin represents a pattern of unsatisfactory water resources management. This pattern highlights the importance of implementing existing water resources and environmental policies to reduce conflicts that involve land and water use.
Keywords: Environmental management; Hydrological demand; Payments for water use; Water availability.
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