Vélez-Málaga receives award for sustainability through smart irrigation system

Environment

The award-winning initiative focuses on the implementation of a smart irrigation system to optimise water use in the eastern Costa del Sol municipality’s parks and gardens

SUR

Vélez-Málaga town hall on the eastern Costa del Sol has received national recognition for its commitment to sustainability and the efficient management of water ... resources.

It has been awarded the 'Escoba de Platino' (platinum broom), the highest honour granted by the technical association for waste management and the environment (ATEGRUS), for the municipal project.

The award-winning initiative focuses on the implementation of a smart irrigation system to optimise water use in the municipality’s parks and gardens.

The aim is to reduce water consumption, improve the maintenance of green spaces and adapt municipal management to the challenges posed by climate change and drought.

The town hall has been recognised for optimising the watering of parks and gardens and reducing water consumption during a drought

Mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Jesús Lupiáñez, travelled to Madrid to pick up the award at the TECMA urban planning and environment conference, held at IFEMA.

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The event brought together public authorities, organisations and professionals from the environmental sector from across the country.

According to a statement issued by the town hall, the award recognises the work carried in the areas of sustainability, water efficiency and innovation in public services. The award places the municipality among the leading towns and cities in Spain in terms of urban environmental management.

Comprehensive strategy

The 'Blue Infrastructure for Green Cities' project sets out a comprehensive strategy for managing the irrigation of green spaces more efficiently. It is not simply a matter of watering less, but of watering better, using technical criteria, planning and tools that enable water consumption to be tailored to the actual needs of each space.

This line of work is particularly relevant in Mediterranean towns such as Vélez-Málaga, where climate change, droughts and high temperatures are forcing a rethink of how parks, gardens and landscaped public spaces are maintained. The management of green spaces has become one of the major challenges facing local councils, which must balance water conservation, urban quality and public comfort.

Jesús Lupiáñez emphasised that innovation in public administration is key to protecting green spaces and using water responsibly

Accepting the award, Lupiáñez said that the recognition “is a source of pride for the whole town and an endorsement of the collective effort being made to move towards a more sustainable, efficient and forward-looking model of local government”. The mayor added that innovation must be at the service of improving public administration.

He went on to say that “innovation in public management is essential to ensure the responsible use of water and the protection of our green spaces, particularly in the current context of climate change”. This message echoes a growing concern in the Axarquía, a an area is particularly vulnerable in terms of water resources.

The new Platinum Broom award cements Vélez-Málaga’s track record at the ATEGRUS environmental awards

On this occasion, the unique value of the project lies in the application of water efficiency criteria to the network of green spaces. Smart irrigation planning improves the functionality of the gardens, reduces water wastage, optimises consumption and promotes more rational management of an increasingly scarce resource.

The move towards smart irrigation addresses this dual need: to preserve parks and gardens as spaces for social interaction while at the same time, reducing the impact on water resources. In a large municipality with several population centres such as Vélez-Málaga, solutions of this kind take on strategic importance.

The town hall argues that smart irrigation makes it possible to maintain high-quality green spaces whilst using fewer water resources

With this new award, Vélez-Málaga is reinforcing its position as a municipality committed to sustainability, innovation and adaptation to climate change. The local government believes that the award recognises an approach that combines technology, efficiency and improvements to public services.

The award presented by ATEGRUS establishes the 'Blue Infrastructure for Green Cities' project as a national benchmark in the field of smart water management. For Vélez-Málaga town hall it also serves as an incentive to continue developing environmental policies that help protect natural resources and improve residents’ quality of life.