THE NEW CULTURE OF WATER IN SPAIN: A PHILOSOPHY TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

Abstract

The semiarid conditions of most of Spain have allowed for the existence of very rich historical cultures, what considered water both as a necessary resource and a source of spiritual well being. The Regenerationism of the ideologist Joaquin Costa, at the beginning of the 20 th century, proposed the construction of hydraulic public works and the transformation of dry lands into irrigated ones, as a means for the economic and social development of the country. During the second half of the 20 th century the powerful technology and public funding allowed for the construction of hundreds of irrigation and hydroelectric reservoirs and a few out-of-basin diversions. Along with the increase of water pollution, these systems caused a severe environmental impact that has been described as the Spanish Hydrologic Holocaust (Martinez-Gil, 1997). Although Spain already has one of the highest dam/habitant and dam/surface ratios in the world, the recently approved National Hydrologic Plan (NHP) will oversee the construction of more than 100 new reservoirs and an out-of-basin diversion of 1000 Hm 3 /year from the Ebro River towards the SE littoral provinces of Spain. This will have a major environmental and social impact in some Pyrenean valleys, the Ebro Delta and the receiving provinces (Del Moral-Ituarte, in press), clearly opposed to the principles and objectives of the European Water Framework Directive (EWFD, 2000/60/CE). It will also support the unsustainable urban and tourist development of the Mediterranean Littoral provinces (ArrojoAgudo, 2003). The New Culture of Water (NCW) is a social and scientific movement that assuming the ecosystemic perception of the EWFD also considers the relationships of water with human spiritual facet, therefore proposing a certain water ethics. The NCW positions itself in a “holistic” perception of water. The NCW claims for the strict observance of the environmental laws in use (with special regards to the EWFD), and the preservation and improvement of the fluvial patrimony. Coherently with the EWFD, the NCW proposes the development of water resources through their efficient use, implementing demand policies. The NCW impulses the intelligent and prudent application of modern technologies (depuration, desalinisation, reutilisation, conjunctive use of alternative resources…), the reformation of Basin Administration Organisms, and the effective social participation in the planning process. According to NCW the existent reservoirs' management must be optimized, “flood management” measures (related to the environmental management of floodplains) be adopted, and the knowledge and playful use of the aquatic ecosystems be strongly