“Seville: public water and private interests”
David Zetland is teaching a class and he is asking for commentary, Commentary to help his Water Scarcity students by commenting on unclear analysis, alternative perspectives, better data sources, in this post or maybe just saying something nice 🙂 to them. I am sure we can do better . . .
“Seville: public water, private interests,” The one-handed economist
David writes*
The Mediterranean Basin is one of the regions that will suffer the most from climate change. From soil erosion to heatwaves and heavy precipitation, this territory has already started to endure the consequences of the changing weather. Within this context, Seville serves as a particularly interesting case to study the availability and management of one of humankind’s most precious (and yet vulnerable) natural resources: water.
While average individual consumption was 176 litres per capita per day (LCD) in 1991, it was down to 113 LCD in 2022. This 36% reduction results from the combination of a drought in the 1990s that almost forced an evacuation of the city and awareness campaigns carried out by EMASESA – the public company responsible for water in Seville’s municipality.
Since then, however, the region has not suffered from autocratic changes in its administration nor turned to market-based solutions. In fact, the price of water has been frozen for the past three years, which demonstrates the efforts to protect the current system, regardless of increasing worries about water availability and the activation of a drought status last October.
So far, it is possible to say that Seville’s administration has been successful in managing the existing resources and has benefited its consumers by creating a Water Observatory initiative where the population takes part in publicly supervising water – ecologically, politically and socioeconomically.
Nevertheless, it is worth thinking about future scenarios where scarcity becomes more pressing and, in so doing, how society will react to these changes. In other words, while leaving economics aside has helped Seville’s governments so far, can subsidies and government assistance help tackle Spain’s changing climate?
Another aspect to consider is the underlying taboo on raising prices. Last week I talked to an environmental activist who works in the water sector in Seville, and I asked his opinion on increasing prices. Unfortunately, and yet not surprisingly, he answered that higher prices would cause so much civil dissatisfaction that legislators would be punished at the polls.
This response raises a critical question of water governance, i.e., how much civic participation is beneficial and sustainable for citizens?
To be clear, I am not (yet) supporting a full market-led system wherever shortages are possible, but it is worth questioning which mechanisms can best protect water availability without being obscured by politics or individual interests.
Seville has a constructive system that has made water management more participatory and transparent, but this system could bring negative consequences in the future. Put differently, the combination of EMASESA’s monopoly over water and Spain’s political system can create challenges.
Prices that reflect scarcity, in contrast, might help “democratize” access to resources, while increasing infrastructure investment and public awareness.
Bottom Line: Seville’s functional and participatory public water management disguises water’s treatment as a political resource. The city’s droughts and successful awareness campaigns might be postponing governments from translating the true cost of water into prices. Civilian democratizing efforts mixed with a system dependent on populist policies that disregard the economic value of water may lead to catastrophe in a region that is slowly drying out.
* Please help David’s Water Scarcity students by commenting on unclear analysis, alternative perspectives, better data sources, or maybe just saying something nice. 🙂
What has stuck with me down through the thirty or so years since first reading Cadillac Desert is the general lack of awareness that though the planet is nearly three quarters water it is a finite resource. There’s a lot of it, but there’s only so much of it. Like air, the atmosphere of late of such growing concern, we just take it for granted. (For example: we’re not gonna’ mine moondust with diesel or gasoline equipment)Â
I used to tell people to let me know when they figure out how to drink oil, but it just flies right over their generally taller than me pointed little heads …
Not a big point but Seville watershed (Guadalquivir) is Atlantic, not Mediterranean.
Seville’s functional and participatory public water management disguises water’s treatment as a political resource. The city’s droughts and successful awareness campaigns might be postponing governments from translating the true cost of water into prices. Civilian democratizing efforts mixed with a system dependent on populist policies that disregard the economic value of water may lead to catastrophe in a region that is slowly drying out.
[ This closing statement should be the introduction; only the statement needs to be simplified, the meaning clarified. Work on the opening statement and the following will be better organized and clearer in turn.
I like this attempt. ]
Thank you ltr for the direction.
For Mr. Zetland, who has expressed interest in Namibia:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/world/africa/namibia-germany-colonial.html
January 21, 2018
A Colonial-Era Wound Opens in Namibia
By NORIMITSU ONISHI
SWAKOPMUND, Namibia — The statue, depicting a German marine holding a rifle in his hands and standing guard over a dying comrade, has stood undisturbed for decades in the most prominent spot in Swakopmund, a city on Namibia’s coast.
It has survived the end of colonial rule in this corner of southern Africa, the subsequent occupation by apartheid South Africa, independence in 1990 and the present government by the black majority.
But a few months ago protesters spilled red paint over the monument, which stands in front of a colonial building that is now known as the State House and serves as the summer residence of Namibia’s president.
The statue, known as the Marine Denkmal, was erected in 1908 to commemorate soldiers who helped crush a rebellion against German colonial rule by the Herero and Nama ethnic groups, a war that led to what Germany’s current government is close to recognizing as a genocide.
“They can take it to Germany, or they can take it to a museum,” said Uahimisa Kaapehi, an ethnic Herero city councilor who introduced a motion for the monument’s removal. “We as Hereros and we as Namibians don’t want German soldiers in front of our State House.” …
ltr:
I see nothing about David Zetland.
I see nothing about David Zetland.
[ “Angry Bear” posted a writing by Mr. Zetland on South Africa and Namibia, a short while ago. So, I thought Zetland could well be interested in the Times article on Namibia. Comparing the historical development experiences of Namibia and South Africa would be revealing. ]
Sorry to have wasted your time, as usual. I was however directly responding to a recent Angry Bear post by Zetland. ]
ltr:
To write a piece on AB, the writer has to be on the list of contributors.
Thank you.
ltr, yes David Zetland’s posts have been shared here at AB. However, he is not an author at AB. You will reach him more successfully by actually going to his blog. Mr. Zetland’s blog is always linked when posting one of his postings here at AB. Â
With that, a little googling and you would have found Mr Zetland’s article shared to AB which your NYT article would most appropriately be posted too.  https://angrybearblog.com/2023/02/the-long-shadow-of-apartheid
Even better, having searched and found the appropriate posting here at AB, you would have been able to click the link to Mr. Zetland’s posting that was copied to AB and posted your NYT comment there thus assuring Mr. Zetland would see your shared interest. Â
Here is the link if you are still interested in sharing the NYT article.  The long shadow of apartheid – The one-handed economist (one-handed-economist.com)
You’re welcome.Â
Thanks LTR — you do indeed have the right memory.
And that story is a good example of the ongoing “reconciliation” of independence with the colonial years. One of my favorite stories is how they moved a “european on a horse” statue from a prominent place in Windhoek to a courtyard of a closed building — replacing it with a statue honoring those who were massacred by the Germans.Â
History has a long shadow.
For Mr. Zetland: the German Ambassador to Namibia just sought to warn the Namibian President about the “danger” of Chinese in Namibia. The Namibian President publicly rebuked the Ambassador for the insult to the Chinese and for trying to again run Namibia.
ltr:
Mr. Zetland is an American living in the Netherlands. Where are you getting this info from?
Why are you trying to attack David’s reputation? This is not acceptable. Answer please . . .
Thanks @run, but I can see the ltr’s confusion (an old post)
Relations with China are “interesting” in Africa. Yes, they work quickly and pay cash but they also also more abusive than (typical) multinationals.
David:
You are welcome. Your “long Shadow of apartheid” was done mid-February.
When I read the original Commentary on water at your site, I decided it may get more exposure here.
Yes, thanks. It’s absolutely helpful. Please note that I have a pile of student posts (one, “David,” wrote about Sevilla), which means it’s great for them to get (on topic) feedback 🙂
David:
Any in particular you would like to see posted. I am going to space these out a bit.
I agree this needs wider exposure, I’ll be putting up links in at least tomorrow’s roundup, see how it goes …
Well, that’s a bit tricky as I prefer that you choose what’s good for you. There are 18 posts in total, last week and this. If you want, then email me and I’ll recommend 2-3 after they’re all up (end of this week).
David:
How can we be the most constructive and guide these young writers is what I was thinking. Maybe, the next crop of Angry Bear writers on their own blogs or even here.
Well, that’s a general (and good) question. My students are not (with maybe 2-3 exceptions in hundreds of guest posts) interested in blogging more than they are “forced.” Others may be far more interested, and I’d suggest some combination of (a) solo guest bloggers and (b) an ecosystem where guests read and improve each others’ work. AB would be a really good platform — certainly better than mine (OHE)!
References:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/world/africa/namibia-germany-colonial.html
What was it we were talking about that was/is apparently so important it warrants such a distraction as thus? Water, wasn’t it? The twenty-first century oil? A finite resource, though there’s a lot of it there’s only so much.
Here today it’s a discussion of successful drought management elsewhere, but it’s only a matter of time before the need is everywhere …
Yes, the number of successful systems is falling with time due to decaying infrastructure, poor management, and climate-change-induced scarcity.