This is the Government’s strategy to conserve water in Spain with an investment of approximately 23,000 million.

With the approval of these accumulated plans, largest investment ever invested in improving water resourcesTeresa Ribera, third vice-president and Minister of Ecological Transition, said in her speech at the end of the Council of Ministers that a long process to modernize hydrological planning in Spain has culminated.

The measures included here reduce the risk of floods and droughtscontributing to the achievement of environmental targets, protecting biodiversity and advancing in adaptation to climate change.

Your total investment, 10,600 million (46.7%) will come from the General Government Administration; 36.3% (8,300 million) will be covered by the autonomies, 2,300 million (10.2%) will be met by local governments and the remaining 6.7% (1,500 million) will be met by other financing institutions.

The largest items will go to health and treatment infrastructures (6,643 million), irrigation (5,070 million) and supply (2,260 million).

2.077 million will go to flood risk management, restoration and protection of the public hydraulic field will take approximately 1,300 million and infrastructures about 1,270 million will be invested in desalination and reuse.

General studies and other actions such as hydrological planning, management and administration of the public hydraulic field, monitoring of networks and hydrological information, maintenance and protection of infrastructures or recovery of aquifers will total 4,228.9 million.

Ecological flow figure introduced for the first time

Unlike the first and second phase plans, the new plans define ecological flows for all water bodies by setting minimum and maximum levels to ensure conservation of water bodiesecosystems and territory.

Likewise, necessary measures are taken to reduce the environmental pressures to which water bodies are exposed, and actions are taken on the activities that create them.

It is estimated that the flow of Spanish rivers has decreased by 12% since 1980.According to the Ecological Transition, which points out that the text proposes a change in the trend in the use of resources to adapt to the availability of water that climate change will require.

Special, Allocations for different uses have been reduced from 28,000 hm3/year that marked the previous planning to 26,800 hm3/year.a measure aimed at guaranteeing equal access to water for all citizens.

Definitely, the establishment of the Tagus ecological flow It brought up the debate between the government and the Levante (Andalusian, Murcia and Valencian) communities.Those who argue that this would mean the death of the Tajo-Segura transfer and jeopardize thousands of hectares of irrigated land and jobs.

In the worst-case scenario, Ribera argued, the gradual increase in ecological flow generated for Tagus would mean that transfer would fall between 70 and 110 hectares. The investment to guarantee desalinated and reused water and additional contributions will be at least 140 hectares.

It should be added to It will stop water loss with savings and efficiency measures, According to Ribera, who assures that it is everyone’s responsibility to supply water for the needs considered at a price level acceptable to the agricultural sector.

Diversifying the sources of sourcing, plans put more emphasis on desalinationso supply is guaranteed and environmental demands and requirements are balanced.

To improve water quality, improving sanitation and purification to correct the delays accumulated by our country complies with European regulations on waste water protection.

Along the same lines, measures to combat widespread pollution are strengthened and measures to combat emerging pollutants are envisaged, for example: microplastics or antibiotics.

The new planning also in the environmental recovery of river areas and in reducing the risk of flooding, brings together solutions based on nature and water safety.

These plans, together with the “Flood Risk Management” approved last week and the “Drought Special Plans” that the Government expects to approve this year, are the key measures to ensure water bodies are in good condition and, according to the same source, to achieve a high degree of water security and respect for the environment without compromising socioeconomic development. to listen.

…….

Contact details of the environment department: [email protected]