Soluciones practicas a los desafios que plantea el agua : lecciones de la experiencia espanola

The water challenges and issues faced by Spain are unique in Europe but are highly relevant to the rest of the world. Precipitation is highly variable in space and time, with regions where it rains more than 2,000 mm per year, while others, such as Almeria, host one of the few deserts in Europe. This climatic variability has been overcome by building innovative water infrastructure and by establishing highly advanced and specialized hydrographic confederations, which are the oldest river basin management authorities in the world. An example of such infrastructure works includes the 2,000-year-old Cornalvo reservoir, which is still in operation. As for the institutions, special mention should be made of the irrigation associations, some of which have existed for more than a thousand years, and the hydrographic confederations, which are the oldest river basin management authorities in the world. The 'Spanish model' offers many worthwhile experiences that are highly relevant and applicable to the realities faced by many developing countries. This report summarizes relevant aspects of the water knowledge shared by Spanish water experts and those from the Bank's client countries during the water tribune and the technical visits.