It does rain in Galicia, while in the rest of Spain desertification is taking hold. With an annual rainfall that is almost three times the national average, the abundance of water in Galicia invites for a reflection on the management of this precious resource, both from a regional perspective and from a national approach, on the whole of Spain. In these times of climate change and global warming, ocean acidification and extreme weather events, the value of water as a strategic asset is becoming increasingly important. The absence of a specific debate on water during the latest election campaign already provides a good indication of the quality of resource management we suffer, making painstakingly evident the leadership mediocrity across the entire political spectrum. For a clear advantage that we have, we just don’t give a damn.
And it certainly isn’t because currently the issue lacks importance. The magnitude of the water crisis in the Spanish Mediterranean basin is rapidly gaining in doom and gloom. In Catalonia, the regional government applies emergency restrictions to 80% of the population, affecting more than six million people. Restrictions apply in the Barcelona and Girona provinces, supplied by the Ter-Llobregat system. And severe drought threatens further areas; at the beginning of February, there are 36 municipalities in water emergency situations, 202 in pre-emergency and 297 in exceptional alert. The outlook is not at all promising, considering the weather forecast for the driest months of the year, which are yet to come.
Valencia and Murcia are no strangers to drought either. The Senia-Maestrazgo system, north of Castellón, Júcar or Segura are in emergency situation, forcing the Minister of Agriculture in the Valencian Community to request from Brussels economic measures in order to alleviate the disastrous effects of such a prolonged drought for the agricultural sector. Andalusian reservoirs are also drying up. Farmers and ranchers have been suffering the impact of the pressing water shortage that plagues Andalusia for months, where restrictive measures are being implemented to try to overcome the worst meteorological drought in the last half century.
Currently, many localities suffer from disruptions in the domestic water supply, while many city councils are issuing warnings on the importance of making responsible use of water in the face of shortages in the local reservoirs. Cordoba, Huelva and Malaga are among the most affected provinces, where limitations on the use of water during night hours have been complemented by the prohibition of washing streets, sidewalks and facades, as well as the filling of private swimming pools and car washing. In many Andalusian provinces, water from showers along coastal beaches is restricted, water resorts are closed and the watering of parks and gardens is severely limited.
Decisions need to be made, and in the absence of a minimally thought-out national strategy, all kinds of proposals make their way through a do-gooder background lecturing about moderation in water consumption, reuse, the circular economy and sustainability. Not surprisingly, these nice words don’t quench people’s thirst. Thus extravagant proposals such as the importation of fresh water by ship from uncertain origins or the massive implementation of desalination plants are on the table. No one seems to be considering the cost and environmental impact of these occurrences, nor is there any mention of the toxic by-product of the almost 800 desalination plants operating in Spain – more than half of the entire European Union – brine. Despite the fact that the discharge of millions of cubic metres of brine containing more than 60 grams per litre of salt seriously affects marine flora and fauna, there are currently no specific EU or state regulations in Spain for the control of brine discharges from desalination plants, nor critical limits on the chemical components and physical properties of the brine. Surprising, to say the least, in a country characterized by its prolific abundance of legislation.
Our political class is very interested in undertaking these works, and the electricity companies applaud enthusiastically. Water management in Spain is being equated with limiting consumption, voluntarily -increasing water prices- or militarily -restricting water supply-. As if a whole constellation of ministries, regional councils, provincial councils, city councils, hydrographic confederations, public companies and other entities with water competences could not do much else about it – except taking home a handsome salary. This is ecological transition, the Spanish way.
In this context, the absence of proposals in Galicia for the use of such a valuable resource is quickly acquiring criminal connotations. On both the Atlantic and Cantabrian slopes, almost all the Galician basins have a short section, high flow – the Miño river, with 340 m3/s, is the highest in Spain – and are regulated by hydroelectric facilities, thoroughly neglected since their construction in the 1960s and 1970s. The accumulation of sediments, which have not been properly removed for decades, has resulted in the loss of capacity for many reservoirs, quickly reaching maximum capacity in many autumns of average rainfall. The opening of floodgates usually coincides with periods of heavy rainfall, so that when millions of cubic meters of freshwater are dumped into the sea, not only is a very valuable resource wasted: the resulting loss of salinity in our estuaries causes massive mortalities of molluscs and crustaceans with great commercial value, directly affecting fishing with serious economic consequences. An annual environmental disaster deserving no greater consideration from our authorities than the implementation of economic compensation – such is the nature of our resource management, year after year.
It seems that we Galicians have been condemned to waste the natural resources we have, which are not few. The optimisation and good maintenance of our water bodies and courses would allow for the increase in holding capacities, improving flow regulation and protecting salinity levels in our estuaries. The exponential growth of wind power generation in recent years opens up new possibilities for lowering pumping costs to higher levels, which is the most efficient strategy for accumulating this type of energy. Ambitious national planning would make progress in the interconnection of watersheds, allowing the transfer of currently wasted, critical water volumes from the northwest to undersupplied regions, as is already done in several countries that take these things seriously. The use of artificial intelligence in pumping stations is facilitating the optimisation of energy generation and water usage, as well as leak detection and distribution efficiency.
But as long as the priority here seems to be focusing on gender neutrality when writing Galician, Galiciano or Galiciana, rather than on the implementation of solutions to improve our livelihood, there is not much to be done. Celta de Vigo football supporters sing it nicely: you are always saying next year, next year, but next year arrives and it happens again.