{"id":2292,"date":"2021-11-04T07:44:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-04T07:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fundacioncanal.com\/blog\/?p=2292"},"modified":"2025-09-04T07:03:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T07:03:38","slug":"reusing-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fundacioncanal.com\/blog\/en\/reusing-water\/","title":{"rendered":"Reusing Water"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Estimated reading time: 2,48 minutes) <\/em>\u2013 Audio version of article available<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proper management of water-cycle services is\ninextricably linked to reuse. This is mandatory to sustainably administer our\navailable reserves. It is also mandatory to tackle challenges such as drought\nand water stress, which are forecasted to increase in upcoming years as a\nresult of climate change, especially in countries like Spain, with zones where\nthis resource tends to be scarce (Impacts\nand risks stemming from climate change in Spain. MITECO, 2021<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This circumstance jeopardises not only people and\ntheir access to potable water or food as a human right, but also important\nactivities for our country’s economy like agriculture. The fact of the matter\nis that Spain could be one of the 33 countries with the greatest water stress\nin the world by 2040 (“Projected\nWater Stress Country Rankings”. World Resources Institute. 2015<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there are solutions. In this vein,\nre-greening our economy means reusing wastewater (water used municipally or\nindustrially) and using rainwater or properly managing torrential downpour\nepisodes (AEDyR<\/a>).\nInnovation and technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the smart-city\nconcept contribute great solutions to combat this trend (“The\ncity supply and sanitation sector in Spain” by the IMDEA Agua Institute.\nFundaci\u00f3n Canal, 2017<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The circular economy applied to the water cycle also\ncreates wealth and employment. In terms of this need, we are witnessing the\ngrowth of companies devoted to innovation in this field. They are specialised\nin reuse and can collaborate with municipal services in undertaking this sort\nof management, or in building the infrastructure that this challenge requires.\nThis growth entails increased professional specialisation, and therefore a new\nemployment niche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this regard, Spain is in the lead. It is Europe’s\nforemost power in water reuse. In 2006, it accounted for approximately\none-third of the total reused volume in the EU (European\nCommission<\/a>, 2015). In fact, the\nEuropean Union itself has become heavily involved in this matter. In 2020, it\npublished a new Regulation on water reuse (Federal Gazette.\nJune 2020<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public-private cooperation also comes into play, as\nwell as raising citizen awareness to foment collaboration in conscious,\nresponsible use of this resource that is necessary for life in both urban and\nrural settings, for people, plants, and animals, as well as for all the\nproduction sectors that participate in our country’s economy. Planning and\nreplicating good practises is fundamental for us all to contend with this\nchallenge together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planet Earth is green and blue. To keep it the way it is, we must sustainably manage our precious water resource, which guarantees health and development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n