The Spanish Blue Community Asociación Española de Operadores Públicos de Abastecimiento y Saneamiento AEOPAS (Spanish Association of Public Water Supply and Sanitation Operators) published the Drought Situation Report for the first quarter of the 2024-2025 hydrological year.
Details of the report:
- Partial but uneven recovery: Despite the rains of autumn 2024, basins such as the Guadalquivir, Segura, Júcar and others still have critical levels of reserves, well below historical averages.
- Extreme weather patterns: A wetter autumn in some regions and predictions of a drier winter highlight the effects of climate change, with high temperatures and erratic rainfall.
- Water availability: Overall improvement compared to previous years, but with marked disparities. Example: Basque Country at 100% capacity, while the Segura and Andalusian Mediterranean basins are at alarming levels.
- Drought and shortages:
The prolonged drought has almost been overcome in most of Spain, except in areas such as Levante Almeriense and Cuencas Internas de Andalucía.
Of the 222 UTEs, 6.3% are in emergency and 14.4% are in pre-emergency. - Impact on urban supply: Significant reduction in supply cuts, with incidents mainly related to storms rather than drought.
- Critical challenges and actions needed:
Planning and coordination: Urgent need to implement contingency plans in municipalities with >10,000 inhabitants and coordinate with basin organisations.
Measures proposed by AEOPAS:
Diversify water sources, protect aquifers and promote the reuse of recycled water.
Reduce losses in distribution networks and improve tariff structure.
Digitise the management of the urban water cycle, especially in small and medium-sized municipalities.
Integrated management: Establish a crisis cabinet to coordinate efforts to meet the challenges of climate change.
This analysis highlights the need for resilient and adapted policies and effective governance to ensure the supply and sustainability of water resources in Spain.
Source: AEOPAS
