. Earth Science News .
WATER WORLD
Drought forces water use rethink in Spain
By Valentin BONTEMPS
Madrid (AFP) Aug 8, 2022

Faced with a historic drought and threatened by desertification, Spain is rethinking how it spends its water resources, which are used mainly to irrigate crops.

"We must be extremely careful and responsible instead of looking the other way," Spain's Minister for the Ecological Transition Teresa Ribera said recently, about the impact of the lack of rain.

Like France and Italy, Spain has been gripped by several extreme heatwaves this summer after an unusually dry winter.

That has left the country's reservoirs at 40.4 percent of their capacity in August, 20 percentage points below the average over the last decade for this time of the year.

Officials have responded by limiting water use, especially in the southern region of Andalusia, which grows much of Europe's fruits and vegetables.

Reservoir water levels in the region are particularly low, just 25 percent at most of their capacity.

"The situation is dramatic," said University of Jaen hydrology professor Rosario Jimenez, adding both underground aquifers and surface bodies of water were running low.

The situation is especially worrying since it is part of a long-term trend linked to climate change, she added.

Parts of Spain are the driest they have been in a thousand years due to an atmospheric high-pressure system driven by climate change, according to a study published last month in the journal, Nature Geoscience.

Greenpeace estimates that 75 percent of the country is susceptible to desertification.

- 'Overexploitation' -

Spain has built a vast network of dams to provide water for its farms and towns.

During the 20th century, 1,200 large dams were built in the country, the highest number in Europe per capita.

This has allowed Spain to increase the amount of irrigated land it has from 900,000 hectares (2,224,000 acres) to 3,400,000 hectares, according to the ecological transition ministry's website, which calls the country's water management system "an example of success".

But many experts say the system is now showing its limits.

The dams "had their use" but they have also encouraged the "overexploitation" of water and the decline in its quality by blocking the natural course of rivers, said Julio Barea, a water expert at Greenpeace Spain.

For the scientific council of the Rhone-Mediterranean Basin Committee, a French body which groups hydrology specialists, Spain is nearing the "physical limits" of its water management model.

Spain's network of dams relies on sufficient rainfall to replenish its many reservoirs, it said.

But "the climate changes already under way, which will continue in the decades to come, will increase the risk of failures," the body said in a recent report.

Experts say the way Spain uses water is also a major problem.

"Consumption has not stopped increasing while water is becoming increasingly scarce. It's an aberration," said Barea.

- 'Europe's vegetable garden' -

Spain is the second most visited country in the world and significant amounts of water are used in tourism infrastructure like swimming pools and golf courses.

But agriculture absorbs the bulk -- over 80 percent -- of the country's water resources.

It is sometimes used to grow crops that are not suitable for a dry climate -- such as strawberries or avocados -- for export to other European countries.

Spain's use of irrigation "is irrational," said Julia Martinez, biologist and director of the FNCA Water Conservation Foundation.

"We cannot be Europe's vegetable garden" while "there are water shortages for the inhabitants," she added.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government adopted a strategic plan last month to adapt Spain's water management system to "the impacts of global warming".

It includes measures to promote water recycling and "efficient and rational" uses of resources.

But specialists say that reforms remain timid, with many regions continuing to increase the amount of irrigated land.

"We need more drastic measures," said Barea, who called for a restructuring of the agriculture system.

Martinez shares this view, saying Spain is currently the European nation "exerting the most pressure on its water resources."

"Today there are decisions that no one wants to take. We can't continue to blindly forge ahead," she said.


Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


WATER WORLD
Brussels urges EU members to reuse city water in farms
Brussels (AFP) Aug 3, 2022
The European Commission on Wednesday urged EU member states to re-use treated urban waste water as irrigation on the continent's parched farms. Much of Europe has been hit by a lengthy dry spell this year, and the EU executive warns that climate change could see half of the river basins in the bloc short of water by 2030. "Freshwater resources are scarce and increasingly under pressure," said Virginijus Sinkevicius, EU commissioner for the environment, fisheries and the oceans. "We need t ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

WATER WORLD
Ukraine nuclear plant risks increasing 'every day'

Obstructions slow bid to save trapped Mexican miners

Climate, poverty collude to torment Central America

Suspended sediment reduced by rapid revegetation after Fukushima decontamination

WATER WORLD
Building the best zeolite

Matter at extreme temperature and pressure turns out to be remarkably simple and universal

New quantum whirlpools with tetrahedral symmetries discovered in a superfluid

New programmable materials can sense their own movements

WATER WORLD
Drought forces water use rethink in Spain

In scorched UK, source of River Thames dries up

UN resumes talks on high-seas treaty amid growing concerns

Low Rhine deepens Germany's energy crisis

WATER WORLD
NASA studies find previously unknown loss of Antarctic ice

Ancient ice ages shapes how seagrasses respond to environmental threats

Mountain melt shutters classic Alpine routes

Thaw and redraw: melting glacier moves Italian-Swiss border

WATER WORLD
More Ukraine grain sets sail as new strike hits nuclear site

Driest July in memory imperils Europe's crops

UK's Waitrose to scrap 'best before' date on fresh products

Yemen's ancient honey production a victim of war, climate change

WATER WORLD
Seoul seeks to ban basement flats after flooding deaths

South Korea flooding death toll rises to nine

Record rainfall, flooding in Seoul kill seven

'Indescribable': the heat and roar of Iceland's volcano as spectators flock to watch

WATER WORLD
US not trying to 'outdo' world powers in Africa, says Blinken

US says new Africa strategy will engage leaders, rethink military role

From coffee to toothpaste, Nigerians buy small as hardships bite

S.Sudan extends transitional govt by two years

WATER WORLD
Communication makes hunting easier for chimpanzees

China faces new demographic challenges

Taking your time makes a difference in Neanderthal times

China population to begin shrinking by 2025: officials









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.