Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Author-Name: Álvaro Francisco Morote Seguido
Title:  LA DISMINUCIÓN DEL CONSUMO DE AGUA EN LA COSTA DE ALICANTE: UNA AMALGAMA DE  DE CAUSAS MULTIPLES E INTERRELACIONADAS
Abstract: Resumen:El litoral de Alicante ha sufrido importantes transformaciones territoriales desde los años setenta del pasado siglo, y especialmente con el último boom inmobiliario. Algunas de las consecuencias ha sido el incremento de determinados recursos como el agua. A pesar de ello, se ha constatado una reducción del consumo de agua para usos urbano-turísticos en los últimos años.  El objetivo de esta investigación es conocer y analizar cuáles han sido las causas que han provocado la disminución del consumo de agua. Algunas de las conclusiones extraídas es que no solo hay un factor que ha provocado esa reducción, sino un conjunto de causas múltiples e interrelacionadas.Abstract:Introduction
Since the late 1990s and particularly at the start of the 21st century, considerable research has highlighted the consequences of multiple urban developments in different areas following patterns of low residential density in Europe. A report drafted by the European Environment Agency in 2009 forecast that between 1995 and 2025 the urbanised land area would increase from 55% to 73% of total land area in Europe. This urban-residential expansion has often been located along coastal areas, for example in Ireland, Portugal and above all in the Spanish Mediterranean. In the Spanish Mediterranean alone, in the period 1992-2000, over one million two hundred thousand new dwellings were built, increasing by close to five million more between 2001 and 2011, representing an increase of 25% in housing numbers. In the case of the province of Alicante, this territory between 1997 and 2008, ranked third in Spain in housing units built (345,410), after Madrid and Barcelona and ahead of provinces with larger populations such as Valencia or Málaga.
This residential expansion has been accompanied by a change in the urban model. From a concentrated, it has moved towards low-density models (detached houses with a swimming pool and garden) and medium-density models (semi-detached houses) and, to a much lesser degree, to high-rise buildings (blocks of apartments). These later two types of urbanization are integrated into private developments with gardens and swimming pools. The diverse evolution of the urban-residential land area between different regions will have repercussions on various aspects of the territory, such as consumption and demand for water because greater or lesser demand will be generated depending on the urbanization model.
Methodology and Objectives
The demand for water in urban spaces depends on a combination of different factors and components: population served (permanent and seasonal); city model (disperse or concentrated); number and types of households served (in blocks, detached, etc.); number of industries and activities developed; number of commercial premises; municipal consumption (gardens, street cleaning, schools and other public buildings, etc.).  Besides, other decisive factors are the dynamism of the economy, pricing policies and, above all, the measures for managing and saving water in consumption habits.
The aim of this paper is know which causes had been influenced this decrease. This decline is generalized in the rest of Spain and other development countries. We have conducted several interviews with the directors and technicians of the supply water companies. In this sense, it has been revealed that there are several causes that have affected a continuous decrease of water consumption. The interviews were conducted at the headquarters of the company Hidraqua, Integrated Management of Aguas de Levante SA (Former Aquagest Levante), as this is the company that has facilities and transparency in providing concrete data and interviews. It should also be noted that this company is one of the most implementation is in the localities of the study area. This has yielded the expected results on the objectives and initial hypothesis and to know what the possible causes are and how they have affected the aggregate of falling consumption or urban and tourist water.
Results
According to the last dates in the inquest about suply and sanitation water in Spain, the average consumption in the Spanish dwellings in 2011 was 142 litres/inhabitant/day, 1.4% less than 2010. In the Valencian Comunity, where is localized the province of Alicante, in 2011 water consumption was 155 litres/inhabitant/day, the 3.2% less than the year before. In compare with other Spanish cities, for example, in the same year, water consumption was 133 litres/inhabitant/day in Madrid, 119 in Valencia or 116 in Barcelona. In the case of Alicante, water consumtpion per inhabitant and day is 119 litres in 2013. Noteworthy that there has been a decline of 22% since 2000. In this year water consumption per inhabitant and day was 150 litres. This reduction is similar in others cities in the Spanish Mediterranen. In this sense, in the towns on the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, there has been a decrease of 25% in fifteen years. If we compare others cities around the world, we can see that this consumption is higher than the Spanish towns. For example, in Jerusalem the average water consumption per inhabitant and day is 650 litres, in Sidney 206 litres, in Oslo 197 litres or London 154 litres. It is important to highlight the domestic water consumption decrease in other parts of the world. In California (USA) in 2014 water suppliers reported that consumption fell 11.5 percent in August compared with the year before. That was the first full month of mandatory restrictions and fines for water-wasters imposed by the State Water Resources Control Board in July. In this sense, Santa Cruz residents conserved far more than the state average as Santa Cruzans cut water use by 28 percent. Besides, the Governor of the State called on Californians to reduce water use by 20 percent when he declared a drought emergency in January. Californians could face further restrictions if the drought worsens and the coming winter fails to produce adequate snow and rainfall.
The general dynamic of domestic water consumption decrease since the end of the nineties could be related to structural and conjunctural factors. This is due to a combination of interrelated causes, the following stand out as being the most significant determinants. One of these causes is the installation and generalization of water saving devices. For example, in plumbing systems and electrical appliances, great improvements in water consumption have been achieved. Savings of 40-60% compared with conventional models have been made. Aerators and diffusers to reduce water consumption by 40% and the installation of WC cisterns with dual flush systems also constitute a saving of up to 50%. On top of this we can also add the gradual and permanent development of consumption habits aimed at saving water that have been growing in popularity since the middle of the last decade, and which have intensified even more as a result of the economic crisis from 2007 onwards.
Conclusions
A good understanding of factors that influence domestic water consumption is essential for developing and implementing appropriate policies with regard to this resource. Among these factors, prices and taxes have received considerable attention in the past, whereas demographic and cultural variables remain less explored. Economics has traditionally dominated the scientific literature on domestic water consumption. From the economic perspective, water is generally considered to be an inelastic good since it can hardly be substituted, and users do not tend to perceive this resource as being too costly. Another factor is the improvement of the water supply network and the installation of saving devices. Others factors are the environmental awareness campaigns, use of the reused water for watering gardens and finally, the effect of the economic crisis and climatic conditions. In this sense, a currently example occurred in California where their inhabitants will have to reduce by 25% the consumption of water, under threat of heavy fines, to an extent unprecedented emergency with the drought in that state for four years.
Perhaps the most important lesson to be learnt from the case of the Alicante coastline is the impact of the different urban residential typologies on water consumption generated by outdoor residential uses. The expansion of the residential and tourist population, incentivized for decades by different administrations, has brought about strong competition with other economic (agriculture) and environmental (wetland) functions for the use of land and water. In low-density developments, i.e., single homes with a single-family garden and swimming pool, the water consumption associated with outdoor areas is quite high, mainly due to the exclusive nature of their use by their owners. Urban typology consisting of condominiums and apartment blocks would therefore make for a more responsible and sustainable use of water resources associated with leisure. This is one finding that should be taken into account in the future planning of residential areas. In this sense, it is important to study and analyse the increase of urban sprawl on the coast of Alicante due to its impacts on water consumption. For this reason, in this dry region, urban typologies are a main element to account for when planning water resources in future scenarios.
Classification-JEL: R1
Keywords: Consumo, Abastecimiento de agua, Descenso, Campiñas y litorales andaluces, Alicante, Consumption, EU Water Framework Directive, Decrease, Coast, Alicante.
Pages: 133-164
Volume: 2
Year: 2016
File-URL: http://www.revistaestudiosregionales.com/documentos/articulos/pdf-articulo-2497.pdf
File-Format: Application/pdf
Handle: RePEc:rer:articu:v:2:y:2016:p:133-164