Desarrollo y medio ambiente en el Municipio de Madrid: Abastecimiento y saneamiento urbano

Abstract

In the present article we study the importance of urban sanitation and water supply on the change in the model of development of the Madrid township. The construction of large complexes with great needs of water, the exploitation of aquifers, the loss of the riverside forests, the use of the drinkable water for gardening services and street cleaning, among other uses, are causing a serious damage to our rivers, that in many parts are already dried up, and endangering the furure water supply of our city. Today, the Madrid township has one of the most complex urban water supply systems in Europe. The water from the rivers of the region, which comes down from the mountain range, is stored in different reservoirs at the foot of the range and channelled from there to the urban areas by means of a vast network of pipes. Therefore, no new reservoir must be built for the water supply of Madrid, given the great environmental impact that any of them would cause, their absolute inefficiency, and the existence of alternative actions much more affective, and whose enviromental impact would be much less. We have to try to increase the quality of the water from the Manzanares river in the oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus parameters, coinciding with the objectives to improve the purification systems and control the fishing life of the river as a bioindicator. We have to continue reinforcing the Plan for restoration of the Manzanares river to boost the cultural and recreational life around the river, lessening the impact of the new M-30