CESAM marks World Water Day on March 22, a date established by the United Nations that highlights the importance of freshwater and the need to ensure its sustainable management in the face of current global challenges.
Water is an essential resource for life, ecosystem functioning and societal development. However, it faces increasing pressures such as pollution, scarcity, overexploitation and the impacts of climate change, which compromise both its availability and quality. These challenges reinforce the need to deepen scientific knowledge and develop solutions that support the integrated and sustainable management of aquatic systems.
In this context, CESAM conducts research dedicated to understanding aquatic ecosystems and promoting water quality and availability, bringing together different areas of knowledge and contributing to evidence-based policymaking.
In recent years, several projects have stood out in reflecting this commitment, such as NANOSEIRA, focused on the development of nanosensors to monitor organic micropollutants in aquatic environments, SYNERGY, dedicated to optimising wastewater treatment through the removal of microcontaminants, and UPS-STOP, which aims to understand the impact of PFAS and develop mitigation strategies to protect aquatic ecosystems and human health.
Research in this area is carried out at CESAM within several clusters, with particular emphasis on RC4 — Ecosystem Management and Conservation, focused on the conservation and sustainable management of ecosystems, and RC5 — Environmental Monitoring, Health and Risk Assessment, which investigates environmental quality, including water quality, and its impacts on ecosystems and human health. This research also benefits from contributions from RC1 — Deep Sea, Ocean and Transitional Ecosystems, particularly regarding marine and coastal systems.
In close collaboration with public entities, policymakers and other relevant stakeholders, CESAM contributes to the development of evidence-based strategies and policies aligned with current challenges and the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 6 — Clean Water and Sanitation and SDG 14 — Life Below Water, among others.
At the European level, the importance of water quality has been reinforced through legislative instruments such as the EU Drinking Water Directive and the recent Directive (EU) 2024/3019, which establish stricter standards for monitoring and controlling contaminants, including emerging substances. These directives reflect growing concern for the protection of human health and aquatic ecosystems, highlighting the need to strengthen scientific and technological knowledge in this field — a goal to which CESAM has been actively contributing through its research.
Marking World Water Day is also an opportunity to reinforce the importance of environmental literacy and collective action. Sustainable water management requires knowledge, cooperation and informed decision-making. On this day, CESAM reaffirms its commitment to producing knowledge and developing solutions that contribute to the protection of water resources and to a more sustainable future.