Although almost all the water that passes through Spanish pipes is drinkable, according to a survey by the OCU, 41% of Spaniards do not drink tap water. The majority say that the taste does not convince them and that, therefore, deduces that it is of poor quality. However, according to the Ministry of Health, 97.7% of tap water in our country is optimal.
Of course, there are differences between the autonomous communities. Just as in the Community of Madrid or the Basque Country, the vast majority of people drink from the tap, in places like the Valencian Community the opposite is true. Compared to the 4% of Madrid residents who are wary of the sewage works, 32% of Valencians avoid running water both for drinking and cooking.
In Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla-León there is also a percentage of people dissatisfied with tap water: more than 25% say they do not use it at all. Although there are also people who are halfway: they do not use it for consumption, but they use it in cooking. As a general photograph, 1 in 4 Spaniards only consume it for cooking, because boiling it is expected to kill viruses and bacteria.
But what do the Spaniards do who don’t turn on the tap every time they drink water? Consume it bottled. And that, according to the OCU, could mean an additional expense of 500 euros per year for a standard family of four members and two liters of consumption per person. Added to this is the impact it has on the environment due to the generation of plastics for bottling and transport.
The OCU considers that it is possible to reverse this situation through a joint effort by the administrations focused on the improvement of mineral salt filters in water treatment plants to “fight” the taste of water. In fact, the regulation itself establishes that “Drinking water must be colorless, odorless and tasteless”. This would also mean substantial savings for the affected national economies. As well as a notable reduction in environmental impact in the context of the drought that Spain is experiencing.
War for water
In the Sierra Nevada and elsewhere in Spain there have been social conflicts of Neighbors against bottlers. In the Sierra de Granada, there is a double front: on one side, there is the company that wants to commercialize the water and on the other, the use that Cetursa, the semi-public company that manages the ski resort, makes of it. and this leads dispute with irrigators which are lower.
The public water network, when in good condition – there is a big difference between cities – is capable of recover, treat and return most of the water to the network that goes down the sink. Jorge Chamorro, a specialist in water treatment, purification and desalination, argues that the recoverable liquid, if well treated, could even be used to return to the countryside, in places where desalination is not possible.
“We need to start thinking about the fact that plants wastewater treatment They also become plants wastewater regeneration“, he said in conversation with ENCLAVE ODS | EL ESPAÑOL. “In other words, they do not limit themselves only to purification, but add a subsequent treatment that allow its use in agriculture” specifies the engineer.
With proper treatment, you can ensure that the water contains the proper nutrients. Of course, he cautions, this the price of water in cities will increase. However, for Chamorro, it makes more sense that this price should be paid in cities rather than in the countryside. And in any case, it would still be cheaper than bottled water.
Meanwhile, the OCU recommends prioritizing tap water, unless the water is contaminated due to nitrates or particularly unpleasant taste. In this case, it is advisable to buy mineral waters from springs located in the same region of the consumer to reduce the impact of transport and because they are generally cheaper. And if possible, in five or eight litre bottles, even more economical.
Finally, the OCU also recalls that the right to request tap water in reception services is protected by law, regardless of the quality or taste appreciated by residents.
Unpurified water
Unlike in Spain, for a large part of the planet’s inhabitants, access to water is a daily challenge. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately one million people per year die from diarrheal diseases contracted from drinking unsafe water all over the world.
Furthermore, the 80% of infectious diseases are transmitted by wateraccording to WHO, and the majority of communities do not have a sanitation network that guarantees water quality. 1 in three people do not have access to drinking water and, according to UNICEF, 340,000 children under 5 die each year from diarrhea associated with lack of hygiene.
In addition to water contaminated by human activities such as mining, agriculture, livestock or waste management, water is often contaminated for natural reasons. Juan Godínez, president of the Social Water Foundation, explains: “There are three elements that have increased life expectancy“vaccines, antibiotics and purification systems”.
Social Water is an organization that works to bring water purification to vulnerable communities primarily in Latin America and Africa. Your project is based on an innovative filtration system which can be installed in bottles, buckets and other containers which, with proper treatment, can last for several years.
Godínez says that often the water that communities get supplied with receives sediment from rain, river floods or an external source of contamination, such as a dead animal, which makes the water a breeding ground for viruses and parasites.
That is why another pillar of the foundation is the education of communities. So that they understand why water is contaminated and what the consequences of poisoned water can be. Social Water works with local stakeholders through the foundations Lamaignère And Iturri to be able to arrive, explain and distribute these filters, which have very simple maintenance – although they can become clogged in a few months if not done correctly.
Godínez assures that this water has a high degree of purification and has more uses, in addition to consumption, such as hygiene and cures. They explain all this during workshops with future users.
