GUERRAS POR ÁGUA: DA SEGURANÇA À SOBERANIA HÍDRICA

Abstract

This research aimed to understand territorial conflicts over water, referred to as "water wars," highlighting the contradictions between water as a human right and its increasing commodification. The main objective was to develop the concept of water sovereignty as an alternative paradigm to water security, integrating knowledge and social practices with institutional frameworks to promote social justice. Specifically, the objectives were: to analyze the dynamics of water conflicts and their impacts on inequalities; to investigate how the concepts of water footprint and virtual water have been used to legitimize commodification; and to propose water sovereignty as a foundation for socio-environmental justice. The adopted methodology involved a qualitative approach based on a critical literature review and analysis of secondary data, using historical and dialectical methods and an essay-style writing format. The results indicate that water security narratives often reinforce the commodification logic of water, exacerbating conflicts—whether silent, such as those related to bottling and commercialization, or explicit and violent, such as the expropriation of rural communities to seize water resources. Moreover, it was argued that water sovereignty, as a concept but especially as a practice, repositions water as a common good and inalienable right, promoting sustainable use and popular participation, thereby offering an alternative path to addressing socio-environmental inequalities.