Basic drinking-water service coverage reached 97% across Ibero-America in 2022, yet that figure does not guarantee safe access for everyone. The V Informe del Observatorio La Rábida, titled Agua y cambio climático en Iberoamérica, says the region holds about one-third of the planet’s renewable freshwater. Access and service quality, however, remain uneven across territories and communities.
Some 140 million people still lack drinking water managed safely, while 324 million have no safely managed sanitation, according to the report. Basic access does not necessarily mean water is safe or reliable, or available continuously. The study proposes 20 actions to improve water management, including measures relevant to Huelva’s municipalities.
The Diputación de Huelva took part in presenting the report in Madrid on 2 November, ahead of the XXX Cumbre Iberoamericana scheduled for 4-5 November. Its president, David Toscano, addressed the event by video and argued that local administrations can contribute to cooperation by sharing experience. He also said the institution intends to keep La Rábida as a meeting place for knowledge-sharing and cooperation initiatives.
The report links the access gap to pressures intensified by climate change. Droughts are lasting longer and rainfall is growing heavier, while glaciers retreat and aquifers face overuse. It says water-related events accounted for 88% of disasters recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean over the past three decades. The 2024 floods in Valencia and Rio Grande do Sul illustrate the risks on both sides of the Atlantic.
Governance is a central concern. Two-thirds of the experts consulted identified institutional coordination as the main barrier to water security, ahead of shortages in data or funding. The report recommends giving water authorities clear legal powers and their own budgets, and aligning water and climate policy with energy and agriculture. It also urges governments to maintain measures beyond electoral cycles and include gender-equality criteria. Water security, it says, should become a compulsory consideration in national planning.
Its 20 proposals fall into four areas: water governance and climate-resilient infrastructure; nature-based solutions and information; training and innovation; and financing. Suggested actions range from drought and flood-risk plans to early-warning systems for all communities. They also include interoperable monitoring of river flows, rainfall, water quality and aquifer levels, along with an Ibero-American Water and Climate Dashboard. The report proposes joint preparations for El Niño, identifying coordination around a possible 2026-2027 episode as a priority. It cites potential effects on water supplies and farming, as well as electricity generation.
On financing, the proposals include national portfolios of water-security projects and dedicated budget lines, alongside additional adaptation funding for vulnerable countries. The report also lists water-use and discharge charges, progressive tariffs and payments for ecosystem services as possible instruments. These are strategic recommendations presented ahead of the summit, rather than binding regulations.
The study also addresses the link between water and energy, a relevant issue for Huelva’s agricultural and industrial activity and its green hydrogen projects. It calls for water availability to be included in planning for new industries and notes that drought can affect hydroelectric production.
Its emphasis on coordination between authorities has a wider municipal context. RUSSPAIN has also covered city-level policy discussions at Barcelona’s international forum in an earlier city report.
The Observatory was established through cooperation between the Secretaría General Iberoamericana and the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación, with the Junta de Andalucía and the Diputación de Huelva also involved. The fifth report drew on two regional roundtables and a strategic survey involving 12 countries. It also included meetings with key actors and the Conferencia de Directores Iberoamericanos del Agua.
The Diputación de Huelva and the Junta de Andalucía funded the publication, along with the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo. The report puts public investment in water at between 0.3% and 0.5% of GDP, compared with 1.38% it says is needed.
