Recently, the State of Ceará was affected by a severe multi-year drought (2012-2018) that had devastating consequences for various sectors of society. This drought has hinted at that current water resources management is not so resilient in the face of drought. Consequently, a paradigm shift has emerged in the State and a multi-level cross-sectorial water governance model is being constructed in the scope of the Sertões project. This communication presents the main points that led to this paradigm shift and the challenges and steps in progress for implementing this innovative water governance model.