Last summer, drought and high temperatures reminded us of the fundamental role of rainfall, as we witnessed how towns in nearby regions suffered cuts in this resource. Fortunately, the Community of Madrid did not suffer from these restrictions thanks to its good health in terms of stored water, but citizens saw its adverse effects on soil products and the food cycle of which they are a part.
How to make it rain?
Although rain has not been a regular occurrence in recent months, forecasts warn us that heat intensity levels will soon exceed those of the previous year, leaving behind the precipitation we so desperately need.
The message of Canal de Isabel IIthe water management entity of the region, invites us to empathize with our people, because although Madrid is above the historical average in storage levels, this situation does not distance us from the rest of the world, and much less does it mean that we can be complacent. Canal insists that: water is a tremendously valuable resource,And since we do not know how the weather will behave in the coming months, it is sensible to advocate caution, even in a theoretically favorable scenario. If as ordinary citizens we had the ability to avoid droughts and make it rain, wouldn’t we put all our efforts into achieving this?
Canal de Isabel II under the motto “You can rain”wants to make it clear that these small saving gestures, put into practice by a large community, can be equivalent to a good shower on the reservoirs.
The campaign, which refers to rain, highlights that, although rainfall fills water reserves, citizens can also contribute. Small gestures such as reducing shower time, turning off the tap when soaping up, filling dishwashers and washing machines to the maximum, installing water-saving devices and repairing leaks are equivalent to “raining” a little. To promote this behaviour, the company continually publishes saving recommendations on its social networks and website.
A joint effort
In our region, the level of the reservoirs is equivalent to the level of awareness of the people of Madrid, who have demonstrated with figures their commitment to the cause. In 2023, Water consumption in homes in the Community of Madrid was 121 liters per inhabitant per daythe lowest in the last 17 years, and also a figure below the national average, according to the latest Statistics report on water supply and sanitation from the INE.
Likewise, Canal de Isabel II assumes its part and helps ensure that all responsibility does not fall only on the citizen, a fact that is reflected in its daily strategy “At Canal we work as if every day were the first of the next drought,” the entity highlights. Under this concept, some of the actions are aimed at the regeneration and reuse of water, the renewal of hundreds of kilometers of pipes annually and the active detection of leaks. Since the last drought in 2005, these actions, together with citizen awareness, have reduced per capita water consumption in Madrid by more than 30%.
Keys
The distribution network in Madrid is the most efficient in Spain and one of the best in the world
At 33 of its facilities, Canal de Isabel II subjects wastewater to additional treatment, allowing its non-human use. Since 2007, this “regenerated water” has saved more than 193 cubic hectometres, equivalent to the combined capacity of the Canal de Isabel II reservoirs.and Valmayor, El Vado, Navacerrada and NavalmedioThis water is used for street cleaning, park irrigation and industrial uses, such as the International Paper mill, which uses recycled water from Canal to produce recycled paper and cardboard.
As part of the RED Plan, Canal de Isabel II will renew 3,000 km of drinking water pipelines by 2030. In the first phase, already underway, 1,200 km will be renovated with a budget of 350 million euros. In 2022, 190 km were renovated and in 2023, 257.5 km. The network of almost 18,000 km is divided into 700 sectors for better control. Canal maintains water losses 76% lower than the national average and uses advanced monitoring systems for early leak detection.
The Madrid distribution network is the most efficient in Spain and one of the most optimized in the world, improving leak detection through pressure and noise monitoring, satellite images and fiber optics.