On Tuesday, MAPAMA launched the campaign “Water gives us life. Let’s take care of it” to raise awareness among the population about the need to save water.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment has launched this Tuesday the campaign “Water gives us life. Let’s take care of it” to raise awareness among the population about the need to save water, making the best possible use of this scarce and valuable resource.
The situation of our water reserves continues to be worrying despite the recent rainfall, which should not make us lower our guard. The last hydrological year, between 1 October 2016 and 30 September 2017, has been according to AEMET the 8th driest since 1981. In the current hydrological year, the accumulated rainfall from October 1 to December 31 was 43% lower than the normal values of this period. In terms of calendar years (January-December), 2017 closed as the second driest since 1965. And it should also be taken into account that some areas of Spain are facing the fifth consecutive year of drought.
SMALL GESTURES, BIG SAVINGS
The awareness advertising campaign will be carried out on television, in the written press, on the internet, on social networks and also in public spaces. It appeals to the responsibility of citizens to save water, respecting this resource as much as possible and collaborating with small gestures in their daily habits.
For this reason, the campaign aims to raise awareness that saving water is everyone’s task. For example, turning off the tap while brushing our teeth or while soaping up in the shower is a saving for each user and for all our reservoirs. Always putting the washing machine completely full can save us more than 3,000 liters per month. A tap that leaks water can cause us to waste up to 30 litres per day. Taking these figures into account can make us more efficient in the consumption of a scarce good; and, for this reason, the campaign seeks to remember that water gives us life and we must take care of it. Something that is possible with simple changes in habits.
ACTIONS AGAINST DROUGHT
In view of the drought situation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and the Environment has carried out different actions to alleviate its effects. The planning carried out in recent years has made it possible to avoid restrictions and effects on the population.
The Drought Plans, approved in 2007, and which are currently in the process of being reviewed, establish protocols, based on anticipation, to guide the actions of the Administration in the management of these situations. The aim is to minimise the environmental, economic and social impact of drought phenomena, responding to them with transparency and planning.
The Government of Spain has approved three Royal Decree Laws in the Segura, Júcar and Duero basins; and the Royal Drought Decree for the Guadalquivir basin is currently in the process of public consultation. Thanks to these Royal Decrees, additional water resources have been made available to users, and extraordinary actions can also be carried out to alleviate the effects of the lack of rainfall.
