{"id":2163,"date":"2021-09-23T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-23T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fundacioncanal.com\/blog\/como-combatir-el-estres-hidrico\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T06:48:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T06:48:17","slug":"how-to-fight-water-stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fundacioncanal.com\/blog\/en\/how-to-fight-water-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Fight Water Stress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Estimated reading time: 4,27 minutes) <\/em>\u2013 Audio version of article available<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water is vital. In\nother words, there is no life without water. It guarantees the survival of all\nliving beings. In 2010, the United Nations (UN) recognised access to water and\nsanitation as a right. Specifically, it decreed that “all human beings\nare entitled to between 50 and 100 litres of safe, affordable water per person\nand per day, and this access must be less than 1,000 metres or no more than one\nhalf-hour from their home<\/em>.” This is also Sustainable Development Goal\n(SDG) number 6 (UN<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, over 40%\nof the world’s population suffers from water scarcity. With climate change,\ndrought periods are growing longer and more intense in many areas around the\nplanet. In Spain, the report “Impacts and Risks Stemming from Climate\nChange in Spain”(MITECO, 2020<\/a>) also\ncorroborates this trend in our country. Not only is the rain pattern changing;\nincreased temperatures are also increasing evapotranspiration. As a result, the\nflow of our most important rivers has been reduced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustainable\nmanagement of water resources is fundamental to preserve our biodiversity (Fundaci\u00f3n\nBiodiversidad<\/a>). We must invest in resilience plans and\nplans to adapt to the impacts of climate change, support innovation and\ntechnology, and double down on environmental education and training. This is\nalso a sector that creates wealth and jobs. According to the UN, 1.5 billion\npeople work in sectors related to water, which translates to half the workers\nin the world (UNESCO,\n2016<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using Artificial\nIntelligence to fight the threat of drought has opened the door to interesting\ntools to model the climate or drought-prediction systems. In the city, AI can\nbe applied to urban drainage, and in agriculture, one of the most endangered\neconomic activities in Spain due to climate change, it can be used for\napplications such as smart irrigation or to forecast demand in irrigator\ncommunities. These developments are an essential aid for modernising and the\nsustainability of the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The “Notebook\nof Artificial Intelligence Applications in the Water Sector” (Fundaci\u00f3n\nCanal, 2020<\/a>) includes 20 initiatives on how applying\nAI to water management helps to achieve greater sustainability throughout the\nentire process, from monitoring water flow in the distribution network system\nto prevent leaks, to forecasting rain and calculating humidity to make crop\nirrigation more efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The national\nstrategy “Spain 2050” (Moncloa,\nMay 2021<\/a>), presented by the Government in May 2021, states\nthat if our country does not urgently take strong measures, droughts will\nspread to 70% of Spanish territory and 27 million people will live in areas\nwith water scarcity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must speed up\nthe transition toward a circular economy in all sectors. We must remember that\nhow we generate energy and produce and consume goods and services also uses\nwater. In general, the strategy sets forth that we must “reframe how we\nare using water, reduce the waste we generate as much as possible, bank on\necological agriculture, and drive green taxation. We must do so in record time,\nwithout reducing the competitiveness of our economy.” This maxim is\nentirely applicable to water resources in particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important\nthat all citizens become involved in caring for this extremely valuable\nresource. Not leaving the tap open, showering instead of bathing, keeping\nhousehold plumbing in good order, watering at sundown, etc., are all good\nwater-saving habits. Because, drop by drop, a great deal is wasted: “Using\nthe washing machine when completely full can save us more than 3,000 litres per\nmonth. A tap that drips water can lead to 30 litres in waste per day\u201d (Fundaci\u00f3n\nBiodiversidad, 2018<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, the response to the challenges of climate change and the environmental crisis is the green economy, a way to adapt and to continue creating wealth and jobs.<\/p>
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