Benidorm records a summer with a 2.5% increase in water consumption compared to 2019

The increase in the consumption of drinking water registered in Benidorm this summer has not caused incidents to be recorded in the performance of the drinking water, sewerage, and rainwater networks that, to date, have been settled without any major incident. And this is even though, according to data from Hidraqua, the concessionaire of the Water Cycle in Benidorm, the increase in water consumption has been estimated at 2.5% so far this summer compared to 2019, which collected historical data.

These data have been transferred today by Hidraqua in a press conference with the mayor Toni Përez, which has taken place at Dinapsis headquarters in Benidorm, and which has also had the presence of the Councilor for the Water Cycle, José Ramón González de Zarate.

According to the numbers, in the accumulated of this year, there is already an increase of 4.59% over 2019. As a striking figure, the day with the highest water consumption this summer in Benidorm was on August 10, with 46,808 cubic meters.

The absence of incidents is due, as explained today by Ciriaco Clemente, manager of Hidraqua, to the investments made in recent years by the City Council. "The most remarkable thing is that there have been no significant incidents in terms of the quantity or quality of the water, nor the sewerage and purification" he stated.

Investments in the renovation of hydraulic infrastructures have amounted to almost 18 million euros in the last four years, allocated to more than thirty works throughout the municipal area. "The truth is that everything has worked well because the performance of the Benidorm network is around 95%, something almost impossible to improve," said Ciriaco Clemente, who added that "maintaining that performance is what allows us to supply and have these consumptions without problems. The quality of the water is perfect, the supply too, as well as the sewerage and purification. That justifies the investments made in the water cycle.”

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, assessed the known figures positively, which reveal "the investment capacity of the City Council to contribute to the sustainability of the planet". But also that "these investments, continued and sustained, have allowed the city to continue offering a water supply with all the guarantees and without problems to the almost 400,000 people who are in Benidorm today."

In this sense, the mayor specified that "25 kilometers of the three networks have been renewed." Specifically, 15 kilometers of the drinking water network, five of the sewerage network, and another five in the rainwater network. “In 2022 we still had to be cautious because it was a year in which there was a great desire to go on vacation, but now we are already with data above 2019, which means that Benidorm is a success as a destination. There are many to choose from, but Benidorm is still preferred”.

In addition, 261 supply connections and 76 fire hydrants have been renewed in the drinking water network. In the sewerage, there have been 118 connections and the rehabilitation of more than one kilometer using trenchless technology. Finally, in the rainwater network, 362 scuppers have been built.

Pérez has also underlined the fact that good water management, the effectiveness, and efficiency of infrastructures and sustainability policies allow "we currently have a good reserve capacity in our marshes", but has warned that "it is a resource that must be cared for and that is why investments are necessary”.

In terms of sustainability, the mayor stressed that “improving the planet is not a slogan, it must be a reality. And in terms of water, it is a resource that costs a lot of money and that must be taken care of a lot”. At this point, the mayor also recalled that "nowhere in the world reaches and maintains 95% performance in its water network." "That is our contribution to the sustainability of the planet" he added.

Finally, both Toni Pérez and Ciriaco Clemente have agreed that the key to continuing with these results "is to continue maintaining the investment effort and also invest in technology". An example of this, Pérez said, is remote reading that allows users to know their consumption "and manage it better and more efficiently". "In all these projects we are pioneers and we are at the forefront" concluded the mayor, who remarked on "the city's capacity for attraction and leadership".