Ari writes*
The autonomous region of Murcia in the south-east of Spain exports a lot of crops. Murcia occupies 2.2% of Spain but produces 20% of its vegetable and fruit exports. This region has a population of 1.5 million and a long growing season.
Murcia’s watershed is the Segura River is the driest in the European Union, with an annual rainfall of 365mm. Murcia experienced a higher demand for its fruits and vegetables after Spain joined the EU, increasing water stress and environmental degradation (GWP).
The Segura River Project proposed to restore the watershed’s health and supply reclaimed water to the agricultural sector (GWP). One hundred wastewater treatment plants were built alongside a 350 km waste-water collecting system in 2001-2010. The EU provided 70% of the €650 million cost; a regional Wastewater Reclamation Levy paid for the remaining capital and ongoing operating costs (IWRM Action Hub).
The project improved water quality in the Segura River. In 2010, the water pollution was unnoticeable, and otters returned to their former habitats. The agricultural sector in Murcia received 110 million m3 of reclaimed water annually (GWP).
The Segura River Project restored the quality of the river, but can it be maintained? This question arises because the Tagus-Segura water transfer, which began in 1979, brings 600hm3/year from the Tagus to Murcia for irrigation and drinking (Tercera Del Gobierno). Since the Tagus River, which brings water to Portugal, is stressed, it is doubtful that the transfers can continue at past volumes.
* Please help my Water Scarcity students by commenting on unclear analysis, alternative perspectives, better data sources, or maybe just saying something nice 🙂