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HOW CAN WE ENSURE WATER SUPPLIES IN THE FUTURE?
The main aim of the first objective of our Strategic Plan is to ensure that we can maintain current levels of supply under the forecast scenarios of climate change and population growth. These two aspects constitute one of the main challenges we are going to face in terms of security of supply
The population of the Madrid Region continues to grow while global climate models forecast less rainfall. So in the coming years, available water is expected to fall and the number of inhabitants to increase. But the population will still expect to have enough water, which gives us a complex equation to solve.
To ensure that these two variables (more people, less water) do not threaten the supply, we have designed Plan -25, which aims to reduce the volume of water allocated for consumption by 25 % per person. So, if daily consumption per capita in 2016 was 208 litres per inhabitant per day, the idea is that by 2030 this figure will fall to 156 litres per inhabitant per day. This need not mean that residents have to cut their consumption by 25 %.
First of all, in order to properly understand the reasoning behind the plan it is important to take into account that over the last 13 years, despite the increase in population, water consumption per inhabitant has been decreasing for different reasons. So it is reasonable to think that the goal of this strategic objective is achievable if we take adequate measures to keep the trend going.
RECLAIMED WATER AND EFFICIENT DEMAND MANAGEMENT
A decisive factor in achieving this objective will be the commitment to using reclaimed water. Reclaimed water is purified water that undergoes an additional purification process so that it can be used, for example, for watering parks and gardens or for street cleaning. So, if we can supply reclaimed water to more customers, this will reduce water consumption. Enabling the use of regenerated water in sufficient quantity will be an important step towards achieving that ratio of efficient consumption that is our goal.
Another premise of the plan is to ensure that only the necessary amount of water is used, without anyone having to lower their standards. This is why public awareness campaigns play a crucial role in making society aware of the need to consume water responsibly. However, there will be an emphasis on water losses (such as pipe breaks, leaks and theft), as mitigating these situations will prevent the unnecessary loss of a lot of water that could be used for consumption. To achieve this we will introduce technologies for detecting, reducing and preventing fraud, as well as improving the reading of household meters.