“Don’t be fooled by the latest rains,” began the headline of a news item published in the Climate and Environment section of this newspaper a few days ago, “Spain is an increasingly dry country.” This winter has been among the ten wettest since the beginning of the series in the sixties and, however, it continues to be a territory in the process of desertification. Add to this droughts, another face of climate change, and problems of scarcity due to the lack or overexploitation of resources – all of which are interrelated – and you will have a country in which water management, whose international day is celebrated this Sunday, March 22, becomes critical. Ensuring the future of this precious and scarce asset, according to the four experts who sought to shed some light on this challenge in a meeting organized by Acciona and EL PAÍS last Wednesday, requires planning and a comprehensive and proactive approach. Water is essential for survival, security, the development of society and the future of the economy. The construction of solutions and long-term consensus, which transcend political cycles, resonated as fundamental elements during the event. “If we do not plan in advance and, above all, we do not have a direction without changing course every four years, we will all end up paying for it, and more expensively,” said Carmen Hernández, technical director of the Spanish Urban Water Association (Daquas), who shared space and reflections with Elena Crespo, Engineering Manager of the Water Area of Acciona; Sofía Tirado, Researcher at the Elcano Royal Institute, and Jon Beristain, vice president of the Spanish Desalination and Reuse Association (AEDyR). The new European directive on urban wastewater treatment, which came into force last year, points the way and the sector must face considerable investments to follow it. «We have had the previous directive, from 1991, for more than 30 years and it has not been possible to fully comply with the objectives it set. And, in fact, we have open files in Spain with the European Commission,» says Elena Crespo. “This shows that it is necessary to accelerate the modernization of the system,” commented the Engineering Manager of Acciona’s Water Area. This directive raises the level of demand and brings with it, among other factors, the need to modernize facilities and build centers for the last two stages of water treatment that are responsible for eliminating contaminants and microplastics. Crespo also pointed out that in the current situation, the construction of new reuse and desalination plants would help comply with Europe, improve water availability and reduce dependence on natural sources. Expanding, reinforcing and modernizing the system, promoting circularity or achieving energy neutrality has a price. “The sector and all experts agree that there are investment needs,” argued Tirado, a researcher at the Elcano Royal Institute. Financing can come through different channels, such as public spending and public-private collaboration. Or also through the review of tariffs, the increase in the price on the invoice, for cost recovery: «We citizens are not aware that what is not paid by tariff we are paying in another way,» said Tirado, who also pointed to a low rate of investment execution as another of the open fronts in the sector. Almost half of the citizens, said the researcher in reference to an analysis she carried out on this issue, would be willing to pay more in exchange for a sufficient and quality supply. The new European guideline also takes the “polluter pays” principle one step further in the case of the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, and transfers a significant percentage of the costs of cleaning up micropollutants to them. «We need regulation regarding tariff terms. It cannot be that the tariffs in the water sector do not reflect the real costs of the service,» added Hernández, from Daquas. “Spain, in desalination, in reuse, in water treatment, we are world leaders,” said Jon Beristain, vice president of AEDyR, who left as an example the five million cubic meters of desalination capacity and around 10% reuse compared to the EU average of around 2%. «We have areas like Murcia and the Valencian Community that are examples at the European and global level. In Murcia, more than 90% of the wastewater is reused.» The experts stressed the complementarity and relevance of these processes in water management and its planning. The latest regulation requires raising the level of treatment of discharged water and for Hernández this represents another opportunity to promote reuse and enhance circularity. Reclaimed water is mainly used for agricultural irrigation, according to 2020 data published on the AEDyR website. It can also be used, for example, for fire-fighting systems or for environmental uses, such as recharging aquifers, but its direct human consumption is not permitted.
Influence in Europe
The weight and dominant position of Spain in this aspect, however, does not transfer to the sphere of influence in Europe and, in that context, Beristain appealed again to the need for a State agreement. “With a long-term pact, what you get is to have a single voice and go to Europe and be able to talk face to face,” he said. Something that has not happened, for example, with the recent wastewater regulation: «It reaches you and, practically, has been set by northern countries that are practically not reusing. And you, who have all the experience, have no say.» Crespo highlighted the importance of having a strategic vision to incorporate reuse in irrigation, comply with the quality requirements of this water and the need to inform and raise awareness among citizens about this resource. This has been, perhaps, one of the weak points of the sector. “From the citizen’s point of view, [debemos] improve communication and information,» said Tirado about consumers whom she appealed to do their part and consume responsibly. The researcher added that there is still room for improvement in aspects such as resilience and proactivity, and that to achieve this it is essential that all actors are involved. «Technically we have it very resolved and we are leaders, but we have probably not known how to communicate. And it is something we need,» reflected Beristain. «We must adapt and there is no time,» stated Hernández, who highlighted the importance of not only pursuing the objectives set by Europe, but also those necessary to face the consequences of climate change.
