Benidorm Commemorates World Water Day with Open-Air Exhibition and Water Week Activities

Benidorm / 23 March 2026

Benidorm has marked World Water Day with the opening of an open-air exhibition showcasing the city’s water management journey since the so-called ‘water crisis’ of 1978. The exhibition, titled “The Water that Drives Benidorm,” runs along Avenida del Mediterráneo, featuring around fifteen panels highlighting key water projects over the last fifty years, alongside historic news articles from the newspaper INFORMACIÓN, one of the exhibition’s co-organisers together with the Benidorm City Council and the concessionary company Veolia España.

The opening was attended by Mayor Toni Pérez, Veolia regional director Jordi Azorín, and INFORMACIÓN director Toni Cabot, along with the exhibition curator, journalist Vicente Zaragoza Martínez, who guided attendees through the history of Benidorm’s water infrastructure. Also present were local councillors, municipal and company engineers, technicians, and irrigators.

Mayor Pérez highlighted Benidorm’s long-standing relationship with water, recalling historical figures such as Beatriu Fajardo de Mendoza, who oversaw the construction of the Séquia Mare in 1666, and recent municipal engineers and officials who have maintained and modernised the city’s water network.

“One of the city’s great achievements is how we have gone from the Séquia Mare to the Lower Algar Canal, and how the Marina Baixa Water Consortium, together with our irrigators, has ensured water reaches where it is needed most,” the mayor stated.

Exhibition curator Vicente Zaragoza emphasised that Benidorm has historically faced two major challenges: flooding from ravines like l'Aigüera, Xixo, and Barceló, and droughts such as the crisis in the late 1970s that left the city reliant on Navy ships. Zaragoza noted that the exhibition documents the creation of networks to transfer water across the region, guaranteeing supply to the population and local agriculture.

Veolia’s Jordi Azorín added: “It seems incredible that in 1978 Benidorm had no water, and 40 years later it is a global example of water management. Recent investments and innovations, including the opening of centres like Dinapsis, continue to strengthen efficiency and resilience.”

Benidorm Water Week Programme (23 March – 1 April 2026)

• Monday, 23 March: Escape room activity for schoolchildren and visits to the wastewater treatment plant.
• Tuesday, 24 March: Presentation of the Water Footprint project at BeCiti Hub for businesses and media at 10:30 a.m.; school performances of the play “The Traveling Drop” at 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., teaching the water cycle.
• Wednesday, 25 March: Technical workshop for schools and institutes, including visits to treatment plants and educational water tastings, from 8:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
• Thursday, 26 March: Continued visits and guided tastings; special radio programmes on the water cycle.
• Friday, 27 March: Live radio broadcast from Veolia’s digital hub and school visits to the wastewater treatment plant and the Séquia Mare open-air museum.
• Tuesday, 31 March: Focus on reclaimed water with a visit to the ongoing construction project in the western part of the city.
• Wednesday, 1 April: Closing event with the presentation of the Séquia Mare Interpretation Center at the Séquia Mare Hostel.

The exhibition and accompanying events highlight Benidorm’s long-standing innovation and dedication to sustainable water management, demonstrating how the city overcame historical challenges and continues to serve as a global example in efficient urban water systems.