À la suite de l'effondrement de l'Union soviétique, les états nouvellement formés de l'Asie centrale ont entrepris, à différents niveaux, des réformes de leurs secteurs agraires. Du point de vue de l'utilisation de l'eau d'irrigation, les réformes consistent notamment en des changements aux régimes fonciers et dans la décentralisation de la gestion du système de drainage et d'irrigation. La plupart des institutions qui, durant l'époque soviétique, géraient le système d'irrigation et de drainage ont été abolies. Cela a créé un vide institutionnel et permis le développement d’institutions au niveau local qui puissent être participatives et appartenir aux utilisateurs. Pourtant, le contexte historique et contemporain de la région pose des défis particuliers pouvant nuire à un tel développement. Les associations d'utilisateurs d'eau ou le gouvernement local gèrent l'irrigation et les systèmes de drainage au niveau local. Ces associations représentent souvent des initiatives conduites par les donateurs internationaux. Parallèlement, les institutions informelles et les modes traditionnels de coopération qui ont survécu à l'ère soviétique deviennent importants et quelques institutions créées durant cette ère demeurent toujours pertinentes. Cette recherche consiste à évaluer le rôle d’action collective dans un système de gestion d’irrigation et de drainage dans le bassin versant de la rivière Syr-Darya dans un contexte changeant concernant les droits d’usage de l'eau et de la terre. L'étude cherche à (1) saisir l'importance de l'eau d’irrigation dans les moyens de subsistance des utilisateurs dans la région de recherche; (2) explorer certaines caractéristiques des institutions formelles et informelles à travers lesquelles les fermiers dirigent des systèmes de drainage et d’irrigation; et (3) identifier les institutions qui appuient l'action collective et celles qui entravant son développement. La méthodologie de recherche repose une revue bibliographique et sur un travail de terrain dans la vallée de Ferghana, au Kirghizistan, entre le 30 avril et le 31 juillet 2008. Les résultats de la recherche sont présentés comme une étude de cas. / Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the newly independent countries of Central Asia undertook reforms of their agrarian sectors with varying degrees of speed and depth. In general, the reforms consisted of changes in the nature of land tenure and in the decentralization of irrigation and drainage management. Through these reforms, former state management institutions were abolished leaving an institutional vacuum that presented an opportunity for the development of local-level management institutions. However, the historical context of the region poses particular challenges that may impede users to capitalize on such opportunities.     Water User’s Associations or the local administration manage irrigation and drainage systems at the local level. Water User Associations represent international donor-driven initiatives to introduce equitable, democratic and participative institutions for irrigation and drainage management. There are indications that those informal institutions and traditional modes of cooperation that survived the Soviet era are gaining importance. This study maps out the various institutions, defined as "rules in use", that farmers employ to manage the irrigation and drainage system in the Ferghana Valley within the context of changing land and water rights. The key objectives of the study are (1) to understand the importance of irrigated water for local livelihoods in the research area; (2) to explore certain characteristics of the formal and informal institutions through which farmers manage irrigation and drainage systems; and (3) to depict ways in which “collective action” in irrigation water management can be strengthened. The methodology consists of a synthesis of existing literature and fieldwork in the Ferghana Valley in Kyrgyzstan, from April 30 until 31 July, 2008. The results of the research are presented as a case study.

Nature provides various services to society that humans are completely dependent on for their survival. These services are called ecosystem services, and can be, for example, clean air, clean water and pollination of crops. To live close to nature and green areas is also important for our well being. Although we are often aware of the values that nature creates and its importance, green areas are often replaced with buildings and roads as the big cities grow and densify. The ongoing densification of cities, combined with the projected climate changes will result in that the capacity of storm water pipes is likely to be insufficient during major rainstorms which can create big problems with, for example, flooding. The increasing challenges of storm water management resulted in that open storm water solutions began to be used as supplement to the storm water pipes. Open water solutions are designed to take care of water in a way that mimics nature's way of taking care of rainfall. These open water systems are a form of urban ecosystems and, in addition to dampen the water flows, can provide a range of other ecosystem services. The aim of this thesis was to create a method for integrating and valuing ecosystem services in the design of open storm water management and thus make the values from ecosystem services visible. The thesis was limited to investigating seven different open storm water solutions: green roofs, infiltration of lawns, temporary damming on specially constructed flood areas, percolation trenches, natural streams, ponds and wetlands. In addition to the ability to manage and control large water flows, 11 ecosystem services were identified that can be obtained from the open storm water solutions: drinking water, non-potable water, natural water purification, carbon sequestration and storage, local climate control and air purification, noise reduction, pollination, habitat and biodiversity, activity based cultural values, aesthetic values and resource for research and education. The values of the ecosystem services were determined in a semi-quantitative survey in which 16 people responded to questions examining to what extent they consider that ecosystem services can be obtained in the various storm water solutions. The values of the ecosystem services also depend largely on the site's potential and how the solutions are designed. Factors that can affect the value of the ecosystem services with respect to these aspects were investigated in a literature study and in the questionnaire study. The results of the literature study and questionnaire study formed the basis for the non-site adapted assessment tool that was developed as the last step in the thesis. The tool was designed in Excel and consists of three steps. Step 1 aims to weight the ecosystem services by the sites’ potential, step 2 involves the actual valuation and possible adaption to alternative design, and in step 3 a factor is calculated as a measure of the values obtained from ecosystem services created from open storm water solutions in relation to the total area. The aim is that the assessment tool should be used as a complement to an investigation about which storm water treatment solution that is most suitable in a project. / Naturområden och grönytor levererar olika tjänster som människan är helt beroende av för sin överlevnad. Dessa tjänster kallas ekosystemtjänster och är exempelvis ren luft, rent vatten och pollinering av grödor. Närhet till naturen och grönområden har också stor betydelse för människans välbefinnande, till exempel genom att ha en stressdämpande effekt. Trots att vi är medvetna om värdena som naturen skapar, byggs grönytor i städer bort i takt med att de växer och förtätas. Täta städer innebär stora arealer hårdgjorda ytor vilket också resulterar i större volymer dagvatten då nederbörden inte kan infiltrera ner i marker och istället rinner av på ytan. Ledningarnas kapacitet riskerar att överskridas vid stora skyfall vilket kan orsaka stora problem med översvämningar. Problemet kommer dessutom förvärras i framtiden med de väntade klimatförändringarna. Ökande utmaningar med dagvattenhanteringen har resulterat i att öppna dagvattenlösningar började användas som komplement till ledningar under mark. Öppna dagvattenlösningar innebär att vattnet tas omhand på ett sätt som efterliknar naturens sätt att ta hand om nederbörd, och är en form av urbana ekosystem som, utöver att dämpa vattenflöden, kan tillhandahålla en rad andra ekosystemtjänster. Syftet med detta examensarbete var att skapa en metod för att integrera och värdera ekosystemtjänster i utformningen av öppen dagvattenhantering och därmed synliggöra ekosystemtjänsternas värden. Examensarbetet avgränsades till att utreda sju olika öppna dagvattenlösningar: gröna tak, infiltration på gräsytor, tillfällig uppdämning på översvämningsytor, svackdiken, naturliga diken och bäckar, dammar samt våtmarker. 12 ekosystemtjänster identifierades kunna erhållas från de öppna dagvattenlösningarna. Dessa var dricksvattenresurs, icke drickbart vatten, vattenrening, kolbindning och lagring, klimatreglering och luftrening, bullerreducering, flödesreglering, pollinering, livsmiljöer och biologisk mångfald, aktivitetsbaserade kulturella värden, estetiska värden samt resurs för forskning och utbildning. Ekosystemtjänsternas värden hos de olika dagvattenlösningarna bestämdes i en semikvantitativ enkätstudie där 16 personer fick värdera dagvattenlösningarnas kapacitet att bidra till de olika ekosystemtjänsterna. Värdena beror också till stor del på platsens förutsättningar och hur de utformas. Vilka faktorer som kan påverka värdet av ekosystemtjänsterna med avseende på dessa aspekter utreddes i en kvalitativ litteraturstudie. Resultatet från litteraturstudien samt enkätstudien utgjorde grunden för det icke platsanpassade värderingsverktyget som togs fram som det sista steget i examensarbetet. Verktyget utformades i Excel och består av tre steg där steg 1 syftar till att vikta ekosystemtjänsternas värden efter platsens förutsättningar, i steg 2 sker själva värderingen samt en eventuell anpassning till alternativ utformning och i steg 3 beräknas en faktor fram som är ett mått på ekosystemtjänsternas värden som fås från öppna dagvattenlösningar i förhållande till den totala arean. Syftet är att värderingsverktyget ska användas som ett komplement till en utredning om vilken dagvattenhantering som är lämpligast i ett projekt.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Cette recherche porte sur la place des petits périmètres irrigués (PPI) dans le système national de gestion de l’eau en Afrique du Sud. Nous avons choisi une approche par les représentations pour étudier et expliquer les difficultés rencontrées au sein des PPI par la création des water user associations (WUA) prévues par la réforme sur l’eau de 1998. Cette étude mène en parallèle un travail de déconstruction de la politique publique sud-africaine et un travail d’exploration des représentations sociales de petits agriculteurs. L’analyse des interprétations et des choix réalisés par les politiques dans la définition et la mise en place des WUA met en évidence une négation progressive de la capacité de participation des PPI par le biais de révisions successives du modèle de WUA. L’étude des représentations des agriculteurs est menée à l’aide d’un protocole de recherche novateur combinant méthodes discursives et visuelles. Elle révèle des représentations de la gestion de l’eau dépersonnalisées et dissociées du concept de contrôle. La notion de contrôle, centrale au discours des politiques, cristallise les problèmes rencontrés dans la participation des PPI au système national de gestion de l’eau : elle est la marque d’une divergence de représentations entre politiques et agriculteurs et la marque de la marginalisation des PPI. Notre recherche conclut en proposant de redéfinir le rôle des comités d’irrigation existants au sein des PPI mais oubliés de la réforme sur l’eau. Elle propose d’en faire des sous-comités des WUA à la fois indépendants et intégrés, des catalyseurs de la participation des PPI, et des intermédiaires entre agriculteurs et politique nationale de gestion de l’eau. / This research examines the role of small irrigation schemes (SIS) in the South African water management system. We chose to study and interpret the difficulties surrounding the creation of water user associations (WUA), undertaken following the 1998 water reform, in SIS, using a representational approach. This research consists both of a deconstruction of the South African water management policy and an exploration of farmers’ social representations using three case studies. Analysing the interpretations and choices made by officials in the definition and implementation of WUA, the study shows repeated revisions of the institution’s design leading to a gradual exclusion of SIS from participation and undermining of their capacities to contribute meaningfully to the national water management system. The study of farmers’ social representations is conducted using an innovative research design combining discursive and visual methods. It shows depersonalized representations of water management isolated from the concept of control. This concept, central to the political discourse, is at the very core of the difficulties surrounding SIS participation in the national water management system: it symbolizes the discrepancies between farmers’ and officials’ representations and the marginalisation of SIS. Our research concludes by proposing a redefinition of the role of existing irrigation committees in SIS neglected by the water reform until now. It proposes to transform irrigation committees into sub-committees of the WUA, to make them both independent and integrated, to allow them to drive SIS participation, and to establish them as intermediaries between farmers and the national water management policy.

Expenditures on water are the significant part of aggregate household spending and their height depends on a design of tariff for public water supply and sewage services among others. This diploma work describes different water pricing structures used in foreign and shows how each structure can be used to achieve objectives -- efficiency, sustainability and equity. The Czech system of price making is referred to as efficient but unfair because it doesn't take in consideration households with low incomes. Because of the continual rise in prices affected by fulfilment standard of the European Union are expected future problems with social acceptability of water prices. The goal of the work is to find possible modification of regulation which might solve this problem.

The gas diffusion layer (GDL) is one of the key components in a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell. It performs several functions including the transport of reactant gases and product water to and from the catalyst layer, conduction of both electrons and heat produced in the catalyst layer, as well as mechanical support for the membrane. The overarching goal of this work is to thoroughly examine the GDL structure and properties for use in PEM fuel cells, and more specifically, to determine how to characterize the GDL experimentally ex-situ, to understand its performance in-situ, and to relate theory to performance through controlled experimentation. Thus, the impact of readily measured effective water vapor diffusivity on the performance of the GDL is investigated and shown to correlate to the wet limiting current density, as a surrogate of the oxygen diffusivity to which it is more directly related. The influence of microporous layer (MPL) design and construction on the fuel cell performance is studied and recommendations are made for optimal MPL designs for different operating conditions. A method for modifying the PTFE (Teflon) distribution within the GDL is proposed and the impact of distribution of PTFE in the GDL on fuel cell performance is studied. A method for characterizing the surface roughness of the GDL is developed and the impact of surface roughness on various ex-situ GDL properties is investigated. Finally, a detailed analysis of the physical structure and permeability of the GDL is provided and a theoretical model is proposed to predict both dry and wet gas flow within a GDL based on mercury intrusion porosimetry and porometry data. It is hoped that this work will contribute to an improved understanding of the functioning and structure of the GDL and hence advance PEM fuel cell technology.

Dans plusieurs territoires agricoles, les débits des rivières pendant l’étiage sont régulièrement inférieurs aux normes, signant des situations de « déséquilibre structurel » entre offre et demande en eau. Les différents acteurs du territoire peinent à s’accorder sur les changements à engager, d’autant que les impacts de ces changements sont incertains. Que valent alors les différentes propositions avancées pour résoudre le déséquilibre hydrique ? Je réponds à cette question en concevant une démarche d’évaluation multicritère multi-acteur que je déploie sur le territoire de l’Aveyron aval – Lère (Sud-Ouest de la France). Quatre scénarios - trois visant à réduire l’irrigation et un à améliorer le stockage de l’eau - sont comparés au travers de simulations informatiques (modèle MAELIA) et de jugements d’acteurs (outil KERBABEL DST). Les scénarios se différencient en termes d’intensité et de diversité des impacts simulés, d’intérêts ou préjudices perçus par les acteurs, et de capacité à produire du consensus ou de la discorde. Les connaissances développées à l’issue de cette thèse sont d’ordres agronomique, socioéconomique et méthodologique. / In many agricultural landscapes, river flows during the low-water period regularly fall below regulatory thresholds, indicating situations of structural imbalance between the water offer and demand. The various stakeholders disagree on the changes to implement, especially since the impacts of these changes are uncertain. In this context, how valuable are the different proposals to solve the water imbalance? I answer this question by designing a multi-actor multicriteria evaluation method, which I adapt to the downstream Aveyron watershed (South-Western France). Four scenarios – three aiming to reduce irrigation withdrawals and one improving water storage – are compared based on computer simulations (MAELIA model) and stakeholder judgments (KERBABEL deliberation support tool). Scenarios differ from each other in terms of magnitude and diversity of the simulated impacts, perceived advantages and weaknesses, and capability to generate consensus or discord among stakeholders. Agronomic, socioeconomic and methodological knowledge is derived from this thesis.

Desde sua ocupação por não indígenas, a região do Alto Xingu tem sido alvo de rápidas e profundas transformações sociais, ambientais e econômicas, acentuadas nas últimas duas décadas pelo aumento populacional e pela expansão e intensificação de atividades agropecuárias. Os impactos sobre os recursos hídricos locais vêm sendo observados, especialmente por seus primeiros ocupantes, os povos indígenas que habitam a região. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo teve por objetivo analisar a relação entre as representações sociais da água e as práticas de uso e manejo dos recursos hídricos dos diferentes grupos sociais que ocupam o meio rural da sub-bacia hidrográfica do rio Culuene, Mato Grosso. Os resultados mostram que os valores, experiências e categorias mentais associados à água estão diretamente relacionados às práticas de uso e manejo dos recursos hídricos nos diferentes grupos. Assim, constatou-se que, quanto mais categorias e subcategorias o grupo utiliza para perceber e instrumentalizar a água, menor é a adoção de práticas que contribuem para a degradação dos recursos hídricos pelo mesmo, e vice versa. Os povos indígenas e pescadores e barqueiros foram os grupos que apresentaram maior número de categorias e subcategorias de representação da água e uma visão mais holística do recurso no território, por conseguinte, suas práticas de uso e manejo da água apresentaram baixo ou insignificante impacto para a manutenção qualitativa ou quantitativa da água. Os minifundiários e médios produtores utilizaram menos subcategorias que os grupos anteriores para descrever o status da água e apresentaram práticas de manejo e uso da água similares, que contribuem para a sua degradação, como: represamentos de nascentes para a dessedentação animal, ausência de vegetação nativa no entorno de minas d\'água, dessedentação animal nas beiras de rios e córregos e uso intensivo de agrotóxicos. Por último, o grupo dos grandes produtores foi o que exibiu menos categorias e subcategorias de representação da água e, por outro lado, demonstrou adotar práticas mais impactantes para a degradação dos recursos hídricos, mais especificamente: represamentos de nascentes em grande escala para piscicultura, dessedentação animal direta e armazenamento de água - sem a devida obtenção de licença ambiental -; drenagens de várzeas; falta de vegetação nos entornos de nascentes; perfuração de poços irregular e uso intensivo de agrotóxicos. Desta forma, verificou-se a existência de práticas de uso e manejo da água extremamente diversificadas e contrastantes no território, no qual o acesso a água em qualidade e quantidade mostrou-se dependente do poder econômico dos grupos que tem acesso à terra. Além disso, a escolha de práticas de manejo e uso da água pelos grupos com maior poder econômico, como também, pelos grupos socialmente excluídos, tem gerado uma série de impactos locais, como poluição e contaminação da água por agrotóxicos, redução e morte de peixes, morte de árvores em beiras de rios e de plantas tradicionalmente cultivadas para a subsistência de povos indígenas e pequenos produtores. / Since its occupation by non-indigenous peoples, the Alto Xingu region has been target of social, environmental and economic transformations intensified in the last two decades by population growth and expansion and intensification of farming activities. Especially its first occupants have observed the impacts over local water resources. The present study aimed to analyze the relationship between social representations of water and water use and management practices of different social groups that occupied Culuene watershed rural zone, in Mato Grosso state. The results showed that the values, experiences and mental categories concerning water were directly related to water use and management practices in the different groups. In this sense, we find that the more categories and subcategories the group use to perceive and instrumentalize water, the less is the adoption of water degradation practices by it, and vice versa. The indigenous peoples, fishers and boat pilots were the groups that showed the largest number of water social representation categories and subcategories, and a more holistic view of water resource in the territory. At the same time, their water use and management practices showed a low or insignificant impact to water conservation in qualitative and quantitative terms. The small and medium farmers used less subcategories than the previous groups to describe water status and showed similar water use e management practices, which contribute to its degradation, as springs damming to watering livestock, absence of forest around springs, livestock watering in rivers and streams, and intense use of pesticides. Finally, the big farmers group was the one which showed less categories and subcategories to represent water and, in another hand, demonstrated adopting most impactful practices towards water resources degradation, more specifically: large-scale springs damming for fish farming, livestock watering and water storage without the proper obtaining of environmental license, floodplains drainage, absence of native vegetation cover around springs, irregular drilling of artesian wells and intensive pesticides use. In this way, we verified the existence of extremely diversified and contrasting water use and management practices in the territory, in which water access in qualitative and quantitative terms showed to be dependent on economic power of groups that have access to land. Furthermore, the choice of water use and management practices by groups with greater economic power as well as by socially excluded groups has generated a series of impacts, like water pollution and contamination by pesticides, reduction and death of fish, trees alongside of rivers and streams and plants traditionally farmed for subsistence by indigenous peoples and smallholders.

A opção epistemológica escolhida como categoria de análise para compreender as dinâmicas do circuito espacial produtivo da banana em Missão Velha - Ceará, abrange a elaboração teórica do geografo Milton Santos sobre os sistemas de objetos e sistemas de ações. Para tanto, fora necessário um esforço de reflexão na tentativa de superar as complexidades desta categoria de análise do espaço. A pesquisa fora estruturada em três partes. Na primeira procurou-se abordar a estrutura organizacional do estado do Ceará em sua política de desenvolvimento econômico materializada em incentivos fiscais e reestruturação do Estado. Neste percurso a Agência de Desenvolvimento Econômico do Estado do Ceará ADECE participa da administração pública de forma indireta por se tratar de uma Sociedade Anônima SA de economia mista. Na reestruturação do estado, a construção de novas estradas, o asfaltamento de estradas antigas, e a construção do Cinturão das Águas do Ceará CAC, constituem-se objetos técnicos a serviço dos interesses econômicos da diminuta classe de empresários que investe não somente no agronegócio, mas também no setor industrial e de serviços. O Estado através da ADECE vem divulgando que a construção do Cinturão das Águas do Ceará CAC, irrompe como a obra que propiciará ao estado a seguridade hídrica para atrair o empresário, sobretudo na agricultura irrigada e/ou no agronegócio. O segundo capítulo busca compreender o circuito espacial produtivo da fruticultura irrigada da banana no município de Missão Velha CE, sob essa perspectiva tomam destaque duas empresas: Sítio Barreiras Fruticultura LTDA e Sítio Paraíso Verde Fruticultura LTDA-ME. Como método optou-se por averiguar no Banco de Dados Agregados do IBGE a quantidade produzida de bananas nos municípios do Brasil, exatamente os dados referentes à área destinada ao plantio, área colhida e valor médio da produção. Desta forma, fora feita análise tornando-se possível comparar os dados no período de 2006 e 2015, com o objetivo de averiguar a variação na produção de banana no país. Diante dos dados o município de Missão Velha toma destaque no circuito espacial produtivo da banana entre os dez municípios do Brasil que mais produz banana. Com a preocupação de constatar se houve redução na produção dos gêneros alimentícios (feijão, milho, amendoim e mandioca), o último capítulo surge na tentativa de entender a substituição da policultura desses gêneros alimentícios pela monocultura da banana, para tanto fora feito recorte temporal de duas décadas com o intuito de identificar em que momento ocorre esse processo de transição e as consequências que a inserção desse novo modo de produção, pautadas na maximização do lucro, que o agronegócio impõe, pode causar à condição de vida do agricultor. Para isso verificar o perfil do trabalhador do campo e os possíveis impactos socioeconômicos que esse venha a sofrer é de fundamental importância na elaboração de políticas públicas que priorizem as necessidades sociais ao invés dos interesses capitalistas na contramão do que o mercado impõe ao Estado e consequentemente à sociedade. / The epistemological option chosen as a category of analysis to understand the dynamics of the productive space circuit of the banana in Missão Velha - Ceará, covers the theoretical elaboration of the geographer Milton Santos on the systems of objects and systems of actions. For that, an effort of reflection was necessary in order to overcome the complexities of this category of space analysis. The research had been structured in three parts. In the first one, it was tried to approach the organizational structure of the State of Ceará in its policy of economic development materialized in fiscal incentives and restructuring of the State. In this course the Economic Development Agency of the State of Ceará - ADECE participates in the public administration indirectly because it is a Joint-stock Company SA of mixed economy. In the restructuring of the state, the construction of new roads, the asphalting of old roads, and the construction of the Ceará Water Belt - CAC constitute technical objects in the service of the economic interests of the small class of entrepreneurs who invest not only in agribusiness , but also in the industrial and services sector. The State through ADECE has been announcing that the construction of the Ceará Watercourse Belt - CAC, erupts as the work that will provide the state with water security to attract the entrepreneur, especially in irrigated agriculture and / or agribusiness. The second chapter tries to understand the productive space circuit of the irrigated fruit tree of the banana in the municipality of Missão Velha - CE, under this perspective two companies stand out: Sítio Barreiras Fruticultura LTDA and Sítio Paraíso Verde Fruticultura LTDA-ME. As a method, it was decided to check the IBGE Aggregated Data Bank for the quantity of bananas produced in the municipalities of Brazil, exactly the data referring to the area for planting, area harvested and average value of production. Thus, an analysis was made making it possible to compare the data in the period of 2006 and 2015, with the objective of ascertaining the variation in banana production in the country. Given the data, the municipality of Missão Velha takes prominence in the productive space circuit of the banana among the ten municipalities in Brazil that produces the most banana. With the aim of verifying whether there was a reduction in the production of foodstuffs (beans, corn, peanuts and cassava), the last chapter arises in an attempt to understand the substitution of the polyculture of these foodstuffs by banana monoculture, to both had been made a temporal cut of two decades in order to identify when this transition process occurs and the consequences that the insertion of this new mode of production, based on the profit maximization, that agribusiness imposes can cause to the condition of life of the farmer. In order to verify the profile of the rural worker and the possible socioeconomic impacts that this will suffer is of fundamental importance in the elaboration of public policies that prioritize the social needs instead of the capitalist interests against what the market imposes to the State and consequently to the society.

Guarulhos, o segundo município paulista em população, tem tentado aumentar sua importância no Estado e no país também nos aspectos sócio-econômicos. Como parte das necessidades inerentes a essa mudança de patamar, por sua alta taxa de crescimento, e devido à crônica e histórica deficiência no planejamento da cidade, nos últimos anos vários planos diretores setoriais foram lançados, todos relacionados direta ou indiretamente aos recursos hídricos. Ora por questões orçamentárias, ora por conveniência administrativa, foram executados separadamente o plano diretor de desenvolvimento do município apenas com diretrizes -, e os planos diretores de abastecimento de água, de esgoto sanitário e de drenagem, além do novo plano de abastecimento de água e esgotamento sanitário, este atendendo à Lei 11.445/2007. O plano diretor de resíduos sólidos encontra-se em elaboração. A fragmentação desses planos diretores, apesar de justificada em função das condições em que surgiram e pelas demandas que visavam a atender, pode não ser a mais adequada do ponto de vista dos conceitos mais modernos de gestão da água urbana. Assim, após uma análise crítica desses planos, é avaliada a proposta de elaboração de um Plano Integrado de Águas Urbanas pelo município. Como sugestão de ferramenta de apoio à decisão, é apresentado o emprego de metodologia de análise multicritério para hierarquização de ações, especificamente obras de saneamento de grande porte previstas nos planos diretores de Guarulhos ou em seus desenvolvimentos, buscando também catalisar as interações entre gestores de diferentes setores. / Guarulhos, the second most populous city in the São Paulo State, has tried to increase its importance in that State and in the country also in socioeconomic factors. As part of the needs associated with that step change, for its high growth rate, and due to chronic and historical lack of city planning, in recent years several sectoral master plans have been launched, all directly or indirectly related to water resources. Sometimes by budget issues, or by administrative convenience, these plans were executed separately from the master plan of the city - this, with only guidelines - and the master plans for water supply, waste water, drainage, and the new plan of water and waste water (required by the federal law 11.445/2007). The master plan for solid waste is under preparation. The fragmentation of these master plans, though justified in light of conditions in which they emerged and by the demands aimed at answering, is not adequate from the standpoint of modern concepts of management of water resources. So, after a review of these plans, is assessed the proposed development of an Integrated Urban Water Master Plan by the city. As a suggestion of a decision support tool, is presented the use of multicriteria analysis methodology for prioritization of actions, specifically huge works of sanitation contained in these master plans or in its developments, also seeking to promote interactions between managers from different sectors.