When the river does not naturally flow: a case study of unsustainable management in the Tagus River (Spain)
Enrique San Martín González, Beatriz Larraz, María Soledad Carrillo Gallego
Abstract
This article assesses the main problems facing the Spanish Tagus River basin, and the management that has caused (or allowed) them. It examines the economic, social, environmental and political-institutional dimensions of Tagus River management in terms of sustainable development. We find that the institutions responsible for designing and implementing water policy in the Tagus basin have been unsuccessful in balancing the three classic dimensions of sustainability, resulting in systematic and recurrent failure to comply with the European Water Framework Directive and the principles of sustainable development.
Topics & Concepts
Water Framework DirectiveSustainabilityRiver managementDrainage basinSustainable developmentEnvironmental planningWater resource managementSustainable managementEnvironmental resource managementPoliticsBusinessEnvironmental scienceGeographyPolitical scienceWater qualityEcologyBiologyCartographyLawWater resources management and optimizationWater Governance and InfrastructureFlood Risk Assessment and Management