EMPRENDEDORES RURALES DEANDALUCÍA
GRUPODEDESARROLLORURAL
DELA AXARQUIA.
TOWARDS A NEW WATER CULTURE
Description of the objectives and main aspects of the cooperation.
1. INTRODUCTION
Although the problematic of the water is as old as our civilization, it has been
during the last years when it has become a political and social discussion. The
world’s population has greatly grown, but the distribution of the water in the
world is still unequal. In some places, although there’s enough water, its quality
is not excellent. Many international initiatives from the United Nations have
alerted us to this problem, claiming solidarity and a greater control and
austerity in the consumption of this valued and scarce good.
Within the framework of the European Union, apart all the directives related
with the water and its quality, the so- called European Letter of the Water,
(Strasbourg, 6th May 1968) became a turning point, and it established some
principles that later would be reflected in the Directive Framework of the Water
in the year 2.000, establishing a communitarian context in the policies of the
water.
Within this framework is where the Principles of the New Water Culture were
developed, and were later crystallized in Madrid in the European Declaration
for a New Water’s Policy.
With these problems as background, in certain countries like Spain, the
discussion about the water has been provoked by the social conflicts that arose
from the principle of “meeting the demand increasing the offer”. This wide
discussion has been mainly boosted by the Foundation for a New Water Culture
in Spain, that, taking as reference the political framework of the Directive
Water’s Framework from the European Union, has shown de unsustainability of
the management of the water that has been made in our country, and the
dangers that can bring to our ecosystem and the availability of the water,
especially in future scenes where the climate change will provoke a strong
decrease of the hydraulic resources in our Region.
This proposal just want to be a modest contribution, within the social context, to
make population aware of the problems of the water in all the territories that
suffer the same shortage of this strategic resource, bearing in mind the effects
of the climate change, as we are beginning to have longer periods of drought.
Centro de Desarrollo Rural de la AXARQUIA. C/Vélez Málaga, 22-29712-La Viñuela (Málaga) Telf. 952.50.97.27, Fax. 952.50.97.28.
E-mail:cederaxarquia@cederaxarquia.org
EMPRENDEDORES RURALES DEANDALUCÍA
GRUPODEDESARROLLORURAL
DELA AXARQUIA.
From the lines previously developed, we arrive at the conclusion that the
Axarquia, next to other territories, within the context of a more general policy,
should embrace the principles of the New Water Culture .
Some ideas could be:

Policy of “meeting demand through increasing offers of resources”
must be changed by other policy of management, which means
control in the use of the water.

We must forget the concept of “structural deficit” for certain regions
like the Axarquia, as it has enough resources to meet their basic
needs and of development, if proper strategies of consumptions are
adopted.

The price of getting and improvement of the quality of the water must
have an effect on the consumption.

The price of the water must be gradually increased until it suits its
real price.

All the sectors (domestic, agricultural and industrial) must stimulate
the saving and efficiency in the use of the water, through the
technological systems that are available at the moment or will be in
the future.

Quality of the water must be preserved in all its ways: subterranean
and superficial, avoiding its contamination with a good cleaning-up
and avoiding the agrarian practices that increase the contamination
in vulnerable places.

Water is not only a resource for human being, but is a part of
ecosystems with great biological value, so we must assure the
ecological flows and the optimum quality of the water in order to keep
the good maintenance of the aquatic ecosystems.

The conventional resources, like sewage waters and salt waters
(whose salt has been taken out) should be only used as last resorts
when saving and efficiency are not enough.

Faced with the growing climate change, next to the control of the
contamination and sustainable use of the energy and the water, the
expansionism of the irrigation should be restrained ( in areas where
the supply is not assured) and bet on the use of subterranean waters
instead on superficial waters.
Centro de Desarrollo Rural de la AXARQUIA. C/Vélez Málaga, 22-29712-La Viñuela (Málaga) Telf. 952.50.97.27, Fax. 952.50.97.28.
E-mail:cederaxarquia@cederaxarquia.org
EMPRENDEDORES RURALES DEANDALUCÍA
GRUPODEDESARROLLORURAL
DELA AXARQUIA.

Apart from the campaigns destined to the whole population, we must
insist in the children and young people, so they learn to value the
culture of the water and be aware of its value.
2. OBJECTIVES

To establish new approaches on the management of the water.

Implementation of criterions in the territories for the right
management of the water according to the DMA.

Efficiency in the human consumption of this good as well as the
saving in this resource.

Control of the losses in the distribution network.

Saving and efficiency in the agrarian practices.

To promote non conventional systems of recovering of waters.

Public awareness of the general population but with stronger
insistence in children and young people so they know the right value
of the water and its importance.
The problems of the water are over the borders that we have artificially
created. So we strongly recommend to approach this problematic from a
transverse and interdisciplinary point of view, as it’s formed by many
different thematic, as the following:

Importance of the water, its origin in the Earth, units of measure, the
water in the World, the water and the life, the historical heritage of
the culture of the water, the use of the hydraulic energy, the
hydrographic basins, the administrative basins, etc…

The global cycle of the water, evaporation, rainfall, hillside erosion,
infiltration, storage, absorption, perspiration, etc…

Analysis of the hydrological resources and their uses, the influence of
the climate, the agricultural uses, industrial uses, domestic uses and
so on.
Centro de Desarrollo Rural de la AXARQUIA. C/Vélez Málaga, 22-29712-La Viñuela (Málaga) Telf. 952.50.97.27, Fax. 952.50.97.28.
E-mail:cederaxarquia@cederaxarquia.org
EMPRENDEDORES RURALES DEANDALUCÍA
GRUPODEDESARROLLORURAL
DELA AXARQUIA.

Making-up of a hydrological balance of the zone, from reservoirs,
stations of treatment of drinkable water, distribution networks,
treatment of sewage waters.

Quality of the water in the basins of the most important rivers.

The water ecosystem in our territory.

Proposals for the public awareness towards a new water culture.
Thanks to this Study we have decided to set out this cooperation project with
territories that have the same characteristics as we have.
3. IDENTIFICATION OF COLLABORATORS
Collaborators can be all regions, areas or towns that show the same problems
of shortage of water, whatever its origin is.

Low incidence of rainfalls.

Climate change.

Lack of the necessary infrastructure for the proper storage, distribution
or treatment.

Rise of agricultural and industrial uses.

Urban grow.
4. ACTIONS

To determine the hydrological resources and their uses in each zone, the
hydrological balance of their basins and the management systems of
those resources.

Identification of the quality of the water and control systems.

Identification of ecosystems related with this resource.

Implementation of the criteria for the management of the water:
ecological, sustainability, quality, subsidiarity.

Campaigns of public awareness about saving and efficiency in the
agricultural and urban consumption.
Centro de Desarrollo Rural de la AXARQUIA. C/Vélez Málaga, 22-29712-La Viñuela (Málaga) Telf. 952.50.97.27, Fax. 952.50.97.28.
E-mail:cederaxarquia@cederaxarquia.org
EMPRENDEDORES RURALES DEANDALUCÍA
GRUPODEDESARROLLORURAL
DELA AXARQUIA.

Investigation and implementation of new systems of control of losses in
the distribution network.

Investigation and implementation of new systems of control of losses in
the irrigation systems and losses of drinkable water in the plots.

Implementation of renewable energies in the exploitations to extract the
subterranean waters, as well as the implementation of the NNTT in the
control of irrigation.

Development of plans of optimization in the collection of rain waters and
systems of storage, as well as optimization in the structures in the plots
in order to have less needs of irrigation.

Campaigns of diffusion for the population, agriculture, industry and
specific campaigns at schools, as well as a creation of a game for
children about the water problems.

Elaboration of a manual of good practices for saving water.

Development of a web site, that include the actions of the project,
download of studies, experiences, new technologies, programs, etc…
5. RESULTS.
We expect the following results:

To provide enough information to get the basis for a sustainable
management of the water under the principles of a new water culture.

To make people aware of the importance of the water, its historical
heritage, its use in the hydraulic energy, its agricultural, industrial and
domestic uses, etc, with the intention of getting a deeper knowledge of
its needs.

Achievement of a controlled use of this resource at the industrial,
agricultural and domestic levels.

To reduce the leaks and losses in storage and distribution networks.

To get everybody access to this good in equal conditions, regardless of
our location.

The get the respect for this good from an ecological point of view,
avoiding the contamination and the use of natural aquifers that are very
important in the conservation of protected species.
Centro de Desarrollo Rural de la AXARQUIA. C/Vélez Málaga, 22-29712-La Viñuela (Málaga) Telf. 952.50.97.27, Fax. 952.50.97.28.
E-mail:cederaxarquia@cederaxarquia.org
EMPRENDEDORES RURALES DEANDALUCÍA
GRUPODEDESARROLLORURAL
DELA AXARQUIA.

To reduce water expenses, decreasing its consumption and recycling
and reusing the supply to the maximum.

Maintenance of ecosystems as a part to be considered as management
of the resource Water.
Centro de Desarrollo Rural de la AXARQUIA. C/Vélez Málaga, 22-29712-La Viñuela (Málaga) Telf. 952.50.97.27, Fax. 952.50.97.28.
E-mail:cederaxarquia@cederaxarquia.org
EMPRENDEDORES RURALES DEANDALUCÍA
GRUPODEDESARROLLORURAL
DELA AXARQUIA.
PLEASE TAKE NOTES ABOUT THE PROJECT AND LET US
KNOW YOUR PROPOSALS AND QUESTIONS. THANK YOU.
Centro de Desarrollo Rural de la AXARQUIA. C/Vélez Málaga, 22-29712-La Viñuela (Málaga) Telf. 952.50.97.27, Fax. 952.50.97.28.
E-mail:cederaxarquia@cederaxarquia.org