Experts and agents in the sector expose measures to reconsider the supply, pricing and participation in the urban water cycle
Tuesday 10th January 2017
CONCLUSIONS OF THE CONFERENCE "MANAGEMENT OF THE URBAN WATER CYCLE: CHALLENGES AND PROPOSALS"
Experts and agents in the sector expose measures to reconsider the supply, pricing and participation in the urban water cycle
The Foundation Nueva Cultura del Agua (FNCA), the Spanish Association of Public Water Operators (AEOPAS) and Calvià 2000 have formally presented the conclusions of the Conference "Management of the Urban Water Cycle: challenges and proposals" a nationwide debate forum which took place on 16th November in Calvià.
Amongst the main contributions of experts, managers, technicians and academics in the water sector who participated in the conference, it is to be highlighted the need to reconsider the entire urban water cycle, an action that must be carried out as soon as possible in the communities to adapt to the current trend of resource reduction due to the ongoing climate change.
This reconsideration involves the integration of different measures, such as diversifying the supply sources and improving the necessary infrastructures; using desalinated water, incorporating it permanently in the water cycle and not only in situations of scarcity, in order to reduce pressure on aquifers and in many cases improve the quality of tap water; reuse regenerated water through initiatives such as its injection into aquifers and other reuse measures for non-potable uses; generalise the installation of individual counters; design specific savings strategies for the residential, commercial, hotel and institutional sectors; undertake awareness-raising campaigns to reduce consumption, which should be extended beyond emergency situations; and approve and implement municipal emergency drought plans and do so with a preventive approach, applying the necessary measures before the drought situation.
The tariffs and their role in the management of droughts was another aspect widely discussed in the Conference. In this sense, it was confirmed that the effectiveness of tariffs to reduce demand is limited, especially in tourist destinations such as Calvià. This tool is conditioned by factors such as the elasticity of the demand, the linkage of users with the payment or the payment capacity of the different consumers. In contexts such as the Balearic Islands, with a significant weight of the hotel sector in all demands, the deterrent capacity of a mere increase in tariffs may be lower than in other territories, so it is necessary to apply other measures of demand management.
Participants at the meeting agreed that other challenges of the water cycle management are the citizen involvement, the transparency in the citizens' access to information (especially in pricing), the improvement of tap water quality, and the promotion of supra-municipal collaboration formulas and collaboration agreements between municipalities.
The meeting brought together academics such as Francesc La-Roca, a professor at the University of Valencia, and Dolores Tirado and Cels García, from the UIB; experts like Luis Babiano, manager of AEOPAS, and Julia Martínez, director of the FNCA; managers of public and private water companies, such as Imma Mayol (Emaya) and representatives of Emser, Hidrobal and the organiser, Calvià 2000; consumers, such as Alfonso Rodríguez Sánchez, responsible for institutional relations of Consubal (Consumers and Users of the Balearic Islands); as well as representatives of municipalities, such as the Deputy Mayor of Calvià and President of Calvià 2000, Andreu Serra; the Mayor of Puigpunyent, Biel Ferrà; and representatives of the Assemblea per Banyalbufar.
The complete document with the conclusions can be downloaded from the Calvià 2000 website.