Sun&Blue Congress to host the 'European StepbyWater Meeting'

The second edition of Sun&Blue Congress will host the 'European StepbyWater Meeting'. It will be held next Wednesday, November 20, coinciding with the opening day of the international congress of Tourism and Blue Economy.

This international meeting will focus on sustainable water management and will have the contribution and presence of the most authoritative voices in the field. It will discuss and reflect on the need to innovate in water and move towards a new paradigm more conscious and sustainable, which requires innovation to overcome the challenge of water scarcity, if we want to maintain in similar terms to the current one, our culture and lifestyle.

Sun&Blue Congress will host this event following the adhesion of the City of Almeria to the StepbyWater international alliance, a pioneering multi-sectoral alliance, made up of public and private organizations and civil society. With the adhesion of the municipal corporation to StepbyWater, the city of Almeria joins a movement led by the most committed and advanced organizations in the field of water, in a new governance framework, the alliances.

International alliance

The adhesion was formalized with the signing of the manifesto and the manifesto of the StepbyWater Alliance by the Mayoress of Almeria, María del Mar Vázquez Agüero, who, together with the President of StepbyWater and CEO of Aqualia, Santiago Lafuente, signed the manifesto and the manifesto of the StepbyWater Alliance.

Their commitment and model of water resource management, based on efficiency and sustainable management, in one of the most arid areas in Europe, is an inspiring example for the StepbyWater organizations and for society as a whole.

In the words of Santiago Lafuente, president of the StepbyWater Alliance and CEO of Aqualia, “the StepbyWater Alliance is fully committed to the search for solutions that help to preserve water and the challenge that we face”. For this reason, “at StepbyWater, we particularly appreciate the incorporation of the City of Almeria, as an inspiring example and agent of change”.

So much so that, as expressed by the mayor, María del Mar Vázquez Agüero, “Almería has not suffered any water restrictions so far in this harsh drought despite being located in one of the driest areas of the country with very low rainfall”. Part of this success, said the municipal councilor, “is due to a great efficiency in the management of water demand, which has enhanced the economic development of the city, to have alternative sources of supply and a deep work of awareness to citizenship”.

For the President of the StepbyWater Alliance and CEO of Aqualia, Santiago Lafuente, another of the keys to Almeria's successful management model is “the public-private partnership, which has enabled investments to be made and innovative technologies to be implemented, such as intelligent systems to control losses in the networks, remote control of all the municipal water service infrastructures, sectorization and the massive renewal of the water meters”.

The Mayoress of Almeria, María del Mar Vázquez Agüero, and the President of StepbyWater and CEO of Aqualia, highlighted the significant investment effort, which has led to an increase in the efficiency of water consumption, represented by a reduction of approximately 50%, despite the 22% increase in the population of the municipality.

Aware of the risks and the importance of the value of water, in Almeria an important and efficient provision of the resource has been carried out, which has included from the combination of seawater desalination with the use of water from aquifers; to the reuse of treated water to irrigate golf courses, gardens and public spaces, among others.

In addition to raising awareness and dissemination, one of the most important lines of action of the StepbyWater Alliance is to advance in the solutions, based on science and technology, that allow us to extend the life cycle of water”, said Santiago Lafuente, who gave as an example the case of Almeria, which, as explained by María del Mar Vázquez Agüero, in relation to desalination, ”will soon have 80% desalinated water, which by 2027 will increase to 100%, which will increase to 100% by 2027, as María del Mar Vázquez Agüero explained, in relation to desalination, “will soon have 80% desalinated water, which by 2027 will increase to 100%, which will make it the first Andalusian capital with water autonomy, no longer depending on rain cycles, which are becoming increasingly scarce”.