Strengthening water resilience in a changing climate
Climate change is increasing pressure on water resources and making future conditions more difficult to predict. A new report from the UN Environment Programme warns that global warming is expected to exceed 1.5°C.
This risk could mean extreme weather, damage to ecosystems and growing pressure on water supplies, food production, cities and infrastructure. Reducing emissions remains essential, but communities and water systems must also prepare for changes that are already occurring.
Additionally, the World Meteorological Organization forecasts that El Niño will strengthen and continue influencing rainfall and temperature patterns into early 2027. This could increase the likelihood of drought, flooding and extreme heat in different parts of the world.
In this way, water management strategies must therefore become more flexible, allowing water to be retained when it is available, protected from pollution and used during periods of scarcity. Forecasting and monitoring can help water managers anticipate changing conditions and identify emerging risks. Water reuse and other alternative sources can reduce pressure on conventional freshwater supplies, while underground storage can preserve water for later use.
The MARCLAIMED project is addressing this challenge by integrating Managed Aquifer Recharge with Alternative Water Resources. This approach can store treated wastewater, agricultural drainage or other suitable water sources underground when they are available and recover them when demand increases or conventional supplies become limited.
MARCLAIMED examines how Managed Aquifer Recharge and Alternative Water Resources can be incorporated into drought-management and river-basin plans, while considering water quality and environmental protection. The project is testing these approaches at demonstration sites in Barcelona, Comporta and the Wadden Region. Together, the sites explore treated wastewater for aquifer recharge, wastewater use for irrigation and the storage and reuse of agricultural drainage water.
