Fermín Villarroya

Learning from experience: a systematic review of assessments of vulnerability to drought

In the last decades, there have been an increasing number of vulnerability studies undertaken in the frameworks of several schools of thought and disciplines. This spur of activity is linked to the growing awareness about the importance of shifting from a crisis-reactive approach to a proactive and preventive risk management approach to deal with natural disasters. The severity of the impacts that drought provokes worldwide has also contributed to raise awareness about the need to improve its management. In this context, drought vulnerability assessments are the first step in the identification of underlying causes that generate drought impacts. This paper presents a systematic review of past assessments of vulnerability to drought, to enhance the understanding of vulnerability and help orientating future research in this field. Results suggest that there are important geographical and thematic gaps to be filled in the assessment of drought vulnerability. Transparency in the design and validation of results should be improved, while the availability of relevant, reliable, and updated data is still a major constraint at all levels.

Application of a water–energy–food nexus framework for the Duero river basin in Spain

This paper proposes a framework for the identification, assessment and analysis of the water–energy–food nexus at a basin scale. This methodology is applied to the Duero river basin in Spain to detect the most important conflicts derived from water, food and energy interdependencies. Some of the most important issues are the limitations posed by rising energy prices for irrigated agriculture due to modernization, limitations to water treatment, and the possible emergence of new water demands for energy by hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas and enhanced bioenergy.

Groundwater use in Spain: an overview in light of the EU Water Framework Directive

In semi-arid regions, aquifers provide a series of practical advantages that make them preferential sources of water supply. In Spain, groundwater meets about one-fifth of the total water demand and is used to irrigate over one-third of the total irrigated land. This article examines groundwater use in Spain from the perspective of the EU Water Framework Directive. Analysis of different sector uses suggests that core problems (and solutions) related to groundwater lie in agricultural uses and that the Directives environmental requirements remain distant from reality on the ground, where economic, political and social reasons prevail on legal obligations set by national and supranational authorities.

Whither collective action? Upscaling collective actions, politics and basin management in the process of ‘legitimizing’ an informal groundwater economy

This article examines different forms and levels of collective action by aquifer users in securing access to over-allocated groundwater resources using a case study of La Loma, Úbeda (Jaén, Spain), one of the largest olive-growing areas in the world. It shows how opportunities for collective water management increase at the basin level as bargaining spaces increase but also how political rent influences the institutional designs that emerge. The article identifies an opportunity to redesign the organizational and institutional configurations by both securing access to water and strengthening collaborative spaces at the basin level.

Professor Ramón Llamas: a founding father of hydrogeology in Spain

Manuel Ramón Llamas Madurga was born in Valladolid, Spain, on October 3, 1931. At the time, his father, a civil engineer, was the director of the recently established Douro River Basin Authority. Following in his footsteps, Ramón completed his civil engineering degree at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain, in 1956. A keen interest in the Earth sciences led him to enroll simultaneously in a geology degree at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, which he finished two years later. By 1963 he had already completed his two PhDs. He joined the Civil Engineer Corps, serving at the Eastern Pyrenees Basin Authority (1959–1960), the Geological Survey of Public Works (1960–1972) and the Center of Studies for Land and Environmental Management of the Ministry of Public Works (1980–1982). The Ministry allowed him to further his professional specialization in France (1963), Germany (1964) and Israel (1965). Early on, his work delved into conventional hydraulics and engineering geology; however, the focus soon shifted to water planning and, thus, Dr. Llamas became a pioneer in the study of Spain’s aquifers. His research emphasized the evaluation, development and management of groundwater resources. During his time at the national administration he co-authored over 100 official reports on water resources, geotechnical engineering and environmental characterization and protection. Despite his professional affiliation, Dr. Llamas remained close to the academic world. Around the mid-1960s, he was instrumental in creating the BCurso Internacional de Hidrología Subterránea^ (BInternational Groundwater Hydrology Course^) of the Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, Spain. The course soon became a reference for hydrogeologists around the world, particularly in Spanish-speaking countries. In early 2016, the course celebrated its 50th edition, which makes it the longest-standing postgraduate course of all Spanish universities. Dr. Llamas joined the academia as a full-time lecturer in 1972. He worked for different institutions, including the Universidad Central de Barcelona, the Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. He was also appointed professor of the Manhattan College, New York (USA), in 1978; however, he spent most of his academic life at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, where he held different posts for two periods of time (1972–1978 and 1985–2002) over 23 years. He taught geology, hydrology, hydrogeology, hydrogeochemistry and applied statistics courses until 2002, when he became professor emeritus.

Vinculación de Ciempozuelos (Madrid) con sus aguas subterráneas

Ciempozuelos is located 35 km to the south of Madrid on the Miocene gypsum formations characteristic of the centre of Madrid basin. From old times (XIV century or former) the water supply was made mainly by means of a galleries dug by pick and shovel (denominated in the town “mines” of water). By this way, the public fountains were supplied. Given the easiness of excavation of the galleries in gypsum materials and the robustness of they without lining necessity, made proliferate the “mines” and also the excavation of caves in the basements of the housings with object of storage wines and other products. Finally it was a crossroad of galleries, holes, caves, mines… that extend for the underground of Ciempozuelos. The historians speculates, with foundation, that Spanish name of the city mentions this proliferation of wells and mines. Actually this rich hydraulic patrimony is abandoned and in phase of deterioration due to its partial destruction as the urbanization of the urban city progresses. The Town Hall has undertaken archaeological and hydrogeological studies in order to improve the knowledgement of the nature and singularities of these infrastructures and later to management them properly. The hydrogeological study made, has distinguished clearly among those denominated “mines” and other types of built hollows under the urban underground. Forty six wells have been inventoried. The equipotential lines map show that the direction of the groundwater flow in Ciempozuelos city is mainly from the southwest toward the northeast. Thirty five chemical analysis and fifteen bacteriological samples have been made and they confirm the calcium bicarbonate facies with high conductivity (1.700 iS/cm) and the inadequate bacteriological quality in order to possible use in urban water supply. We recommend their use for ornamental uses, irrigation of streets, and cultural memory of the singular water supply that has persisted in the city during centuries.