The paradox of success: Water resources closure in Axarquia (southern Spain).

Autor: Hurtado AR; Water, Environmental and Agricultural Resources Economics (WEARE) Research Group, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Cordoba, Campus Rabanales Building C5, 14014 Córdoba, Spain. Electronic address: es2rohuc@uco.es., Díaz-Cano E; Water, Environmental and Agricultural Resources Economics (WEARE) Research Group, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Cordoba, Campus Rabanales Building C5, 14014 Córdoba, Spain. Electronic address: edcano@uco.es., Berbel J; Water, Environmental and Agricultural Resources Economics (WEARE) Research Group, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Cordoba, Campus Rabanales Building C5, 14014 Córdoba, Spain. Electronic address: berbel@uco.es.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2024 Oct 10; Vol. 946, pp. 174318. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jun 29.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174318
Abstrakt: Axarquia is a semi-arid region in southern Spain that in the past 25 years has experienced significant population growth, along with an economic boom driven by an increasing influx of tourists to Costa del Sol and the expansion of irrigated export-oriented subtropical crops. The combination of these factors has led to a chronic structural scarcity condition that has been intensified by the occurrence of a long and extreme drought. As a result, its only reservoir has reached historically low levels and the piezometric levels in its main aquifer have decreased significantly, suggesting that groundwater reserves are being overexploited. The water crisis is impacting citizens (urban supply), farmers (losses of yields and crops), and the environment (decreasing water reserves). The authorities have responded through supply-side measures such as incorporating reclaimed wastewater in the system and planning the deployment of desalination infrastructure in the region, but demand control and proper governance are required to guarantee sustainability. Consequently, in this case study we apply the European Environment Agency's DPSIR (driving forces, pressures, state, impact, and response model of intervention) framework to understand the basin closure process in Axarquia and assess the main actions that have been undertaken by public and private sector stakeholders to address the challenges faced by the region. Our results provide a valuable reference case to support the analysis of similar closure events, the early identification of potential crisis conditions, and the design of potential solutions in water scarce regions in the European Union, the Mediterranean, and elsewhere.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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