Planning and management of long periods of drought

in the southeast of Spain.

Application to the Segura River Basin

In the southeast of Spain, the rainfall scarcity and the state of overexploitation in aquifers means

that water resources are not enough to meet demand at present.

In 1851 it was already predicted for this area that "the evolution of agricultural land occupation

would cause a profound imbalance between water resources and water needs" (Manuel Rico and

José de Echegaray)

The severe drought in period 1991-1995 triggered the inclusion of drought on water planning.

The performances in drought situations must respond to a planned management and not just

emergency actions involving high costs for the people.

Drought Plans in 2007 dealt the management of hydrological drought in a scarcity situation of

surface water and groundwater.

Therefore, the New Cycle Hydrological Planning 2015-2021 must integrate drought

management.

This paper proposes solutions to integrate drought management in the New Water Planning

in Segura River basin, dealing the following matters:

1) Achieving greater water efficiency in agricultural use.

2) Increasing control in the creation of new irrigated areas.

3) Reducing losses in channels and evaporation in reservoirs.

4) Integrating desalination as a supplement with a competitive cost.

5) Establishing the real price of water.

6) Reducing expectations of more water availability in the future, because the consequence is

the increase in irrigated land, without planning.

7) Increasing coordination and cooperation between public authorities and users.

8) Reducing demand rather than increasing supply of water and working in order to trigger a

mindset changing in water use.

Raúl Herrero Miñano - Centro Europeo de Empresas e Innovación de Murcia (CEEIM)

Campus Universitario de Espinardo, 7, 30100 Murcia

Tel.868 957 485 - raul.herrero@eselagua.com - www.eselagua.com