Abstract
<p>The Segura Hydrographic Demarcation (DHS), in Southeastern Spain, is an area of hydric deficit caused by low and irregular rainfall and a dense population. In this region water scarcity is a burning issue that polarizes society for or against different models of ensuring water supply. Given the current demand for water throughout Spain, desalination has been used to increase water supply, and as insurance against drought. Ten seawater desalination plants and hundreds of brackish aquifer desalination plants treat water in the Southeast of the Iberian Peninsula, both for human consumption and for irrigation, contributing to economic, energetic, processual and economic aspects of territorial organization in the Southeast of Spain. This article reviews debates over desalination, water transfers, and the best way to meet water demands in that region. While desalination allows an increase in water supply, dependence on that source increases energy costs and may lead to mistaken assumptions among users about water scarcity and availability.</p><p><strong>Keywords: </strong>seawater desalination, brackish aquifer desalination, human water supply, social debate, irrigation, Southeast of Spain</p>
Highlights
Southeastern Spain is a region of the Iberian Peninsula located on the Mediterranean coastline from Cape de la Nao to Cape Gata
This article explains the role of seawater and brackish aquifer desalination for the different water uses in the Southeast of Spain. It assesses whether the quantities provided are sufficient for domestic uses in situations of drought, and whether they are a solution to "water insecurity." the article evaluates whether the expansion of desalination to meet the demands of irrigation is sustainable
As early as 1994, Torres (1994: 121) reported that "the Spanish experience in desalination is one of the most positive that can be found in the world." In the eastern Canary Islands chronic shortages in the system of Navy water tanks were overcome by the production of desalinated water (García-Rodríguez et al 2016: 123), something that happened in Benidorm (Southeast of Spain) in 1978
Summary
In this semi-arid area of Mediterranean, seasonal rivers and streams – known as ramblas – remain dry most of the year, with a very limited flow except for occasional surface run-off and flash floods Allochthonous rivers such as the Segura, which receives rainfall from headwaters located outside this climatic region, have been the main sources of water supply over centuries. It assesses whether the quantities provided are sufficient for domestic uses in situations of drought, and whether they are a solution to "water insecurity." the article evaluates whether the expansion of desalination to meet the demands of irrigation is sustainable. Interviews were conducted with the users of these waters, with the managers of the Commonwealth of Taibilla Channels (MCT), and with several Irrigation Communities
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