The Use of Non-Conventional Water Resources as a Means of Adaptation to Drought and Climate Change in Semi-Arid Regions: South-Eastern Spain

Abstract

Drought is a climatic risk with notable repercussions on water supply systems. The aim of this study is to analyze the principal measures for management and planning implemented during recent decades in south-eastern Spain (Segura River Basin) to respond to drought situations, focusing on the role played by non-conventional water resources (desalination and treated water). The results demonstrate that the study area (despite being one of the driest places of Spain) is less vulnerable to drought than regions with an Atlantic climate and greater availability of water. This has been possible thanks to the integration of non-conventional water resources as a means of adaptation to confront this natural risk, which is estimated to become more intense and frequent in the future owing to climate change.

Water Consumption and Management in Schools in the City of Alicante (Southern Spain) (2000–2017): Free Water Helps Promote Saving Water?

“…Demand is increasing and it is necessary to manage this resource in an appropriate and sustainable manner. This issue is important in urban areas with scarce water resources due to the need to guarantee the availability of water in sufficient quantity and quality [2]. Another focus of interest is climate change with increasing intensities of drought and growing water shortages in certain areas such as the Mediterranean where this study area is located [3].…”

“…prolonged drought such as the last drought (2015-2019), and debate on demand management has widened recently to include the consequences of climate change and territorial resilience to drought [2].…”

Experiencia didáctica en postgrado sobre la interpretación de los riesgos naturales y el cambio climático. Ejemplos de estudios de caso en la provincia de Alicante (España)

“…También cabe destacar que el propio diseño de una ciudad en concentrado permite una mayor gestión del recurso agua debido a que se producen menos pérdidas por km de red, un menor tiempo en la detección de fugas y fraudes, se disminuye el consumo de agua por vivienda, etc. ; 2) La implementación de medidas de ahorro hídrico en el sector hotelero (Baños, Hernández, Rico y Olcina, 2019); 3) La permuta de agua potable por aguas regeneradas depuradas a partir de acuerdos suscritos entre usuarios urbanos y agrícolas (Gil y Rico, 2015); 4) La construcción en 1999 de la conexión Rabasa-Fenollar-Amadorio que permite en caso de emergencia, el trasvase de agua desde la MCT (desde la ciudad de Alicante); y 5) La disponibilidad de agua desalinizada de la planta de Mutxamel (finalizada en 2012) que puede ser suministrada mediante la citada conducción de emergencia (Morote, Olcina y Hernández, 2019). Este ejemplo de estudio se complementa con la Práctica 2 que tienen que realizar los discentes en horario fuera del aula (análisis del trabajo de investigación de Olcina y Vera -2016-) donde se trata la adaptación de la actividad turística al cambio climático.…”

Assessing Water Shortage through a Balance Model among Transfers, Groundwater, Desalination, Wastewater Reuse, and Water Demands (SE Spain)

“…This study is located in Alicante province (Southeast Spain), where downpours are highly heterogeneous. In general, average precipitation amounts fluctuate between 230 and 900 mm/year, in the north of the region; but, eventually, some rainfall episodes involve 200-300 mm in just three or four hours [5,7,10]. Moreover, over the last four decades, the shoreline of Alicante province has undergone great urban development [9,22].…”

“…Growing water demand and increasing physical water scarcity in arid environments are both encouraging changes in the way that water is understood and in the models developed to manage it [1][2][3]. In particular, the climate of Alicante province (southeast region of the Iberian Peninsula, where is located the case study of this paper) is characterized by its aridity-deficient and irregular precipitation, a high level of sunshine exposure which increases potential evapotranspiration, and repeated droughts [4][5][6][7]. Moreover, the impacts of extreme hydrologic events, due to intense precipitation, can lead to flash floods and vulnerable areas [8][9][10].…”