By Lizeth Bernal, Laura Carranza, Andrea Franco, Santiago GarcÌ_a, ValentinaåÊGÌ_mez, NicolÌÁs MartÌ_nez
Editor’s note:åÊThis poster is one of three selected from projectsåÊdone by senioråÊstudents at St. George’s School in BogotÌÁ, Colombia.
The topic of this research is the depletion of water sources in Spain. Our objectivewas to find the reasons for the exponential exhaustion of aquifer resources inåÊSpain, identify the effects of wasteful use and propose a series of possibleåÊsolutions to terminate or at least stall this problem. The continuous stress on wateråÊresources in Spain is unsustainable. Although SpainåÊis not the only EuropeanåÊcountry currently undergoing such a crisis, it is one where the situation is critical.åÊUrbanization, industrialization and general consumption of water for human useåÊcreate an enormous demand for this vital liquid, and desertification and salinizationåÊhave led to droughts. Also, as water is needed foråÊseveral manufacturingåÊprocesses and a number of agricultural activities,åÊcontamination of water hasåÊincreased at an elevated rate resulting in a considerable amount of water that isåÊunfit for human consumption. The loss of water resources could be devastatingåÊsocially, economically, ecologically, energeticallyåÊand politically. In order to assessåÊthese problems, the following possible solutions are proposed: planning of crops,åÊintelligent agriculture, agricultural reforms, water-related and industrial policies,åÊgovernmental campaigns promoting awareness about water use for the population,åÊand preservation of underground water reserves.
