Change bathtubs for showers, turn off the tap when brushing your teeth or choose efficient dishwashers and washing machines. These are some of the new habits that some citizens have adopted lately, aware that the planet’s resources are not infinite. And Spain suffers, above all, from a lack of water.
The availability of water is uneven in the country, and has intensified in recent years. “This year the concept of wet and dry Spain has been taken to the extreme by meteorology,” said Rubén del Campo, spokesperson for the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet). The rains have been “very poorly distributed,” he insisted, with more than 2,500 liters per square meter in Galicia while the extreme southeast of the peninsula has barely reached 80 liters per square meter.
The same conclusion is obtained when observing the hydrological reserves: Spain as a whole is now at 48.5% of its total capacity, with the extremes represented by the Segura area – which is close to 15% – and the internal basins of the Country Basque —which has reached 90.5%—. “Around 100,000 inhabitants still face problems of access to drinking water, with supply cuts in areas such as the Priorat region (Catalonia), the Sierra Sur of Seville and the coast of Malaga,” states the latest report from the Spanish Association of Public Supply and Sanitation Operators (AEOPAS).
Every October 24, International Day against Climate Change, is a good time to reflect and become aware that the climate emergency in which we are immersed will accentuate the scarcity of water in Spain, as well as the torrential rains. This scenario forces us to rethink how this essential resource is used and managed, and to look for innovative solutions that guarantee its availability in a sustainable way. A path that Agbar, part of the Veolia group, has begun to walk and that involves preserving natural resources, regenerating ecosystems, promoting digitalization and green infrastructure to adapt to this scenario.
Technology to reuse water
Responsibility with the use of water not only concerns citizens, but also the infrastructures that manage and provide this essential liquid for the development of our activities. And it involves adopting the circular economy. Thus, instead of depending exclusively on available water resources and the amount of rainfall, the circular economy allows water to be regenerated and reused for new uses.
With this objective, Agbar is transforming traditional treatment plants into ecofactories where, in addition to promoting the circularity of water, waste is revalued into new resources. This is a model that the United Nations has recognized for its fight against climate change, and represents a paradigm shift in water management. Ecofactories are plants where water is regenerated for subsequent reuse, waste is transformed into resources – such as sewage sludge into fertilizer for agriculture -, renewable energy is generated in order to achieve self-sufficiency for the factory and the positive impact on the environment is maximized. Thus, after advanced treatment, water is reused in agriculture, industry or cities for irrigation of urban green areas or cleaning streets, among several new uses. In Spain, the Baix Llobregat (Barcelona) and Bio Sur (Granada) ecofactories are already benchmarks.
For its part, the Túria Natural Park (Valencia) hosts the project Guardiana pioneering infrastructure also developed by Agbar. In this case it is an innovative system that allows water to be reused to protect the park against forest fires, through the installation of 40 regenerated water cannons. It is a unique initiative in Europe for now that integrates advanced technology with sensors that monitor the forest in real time and a water regeneration station. In this way, wastewater can become a key resource to preserve forest areas.
Key role of digitalization
Along with the model changes that ecofactories entail, Agbar is also implementing a network of hubs digital, called Dinapsis Hubgrade by Veolia. They are spaces where expert knowledge is combined with cutting-edge technology—artificial intelligence, large data sets, and machine learning— to carry out more efficient water resource management and to optimize responses to extreme climate events.
Another of the company’s strategies to combat climate change is the development of green infrastructure, which promotes a management model that is respectful of the natural environment. A good example of this has been the recovery of Clot de Galvany (Alicante) which, thanks to the use of regenerated water, has been restored as an ecosystem of great environmental value. These projects not only help restore and conserve biodiversity, but also offer effective solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change in urban and rural areas.
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