Five million liters of water in the middle of a drought in one year. This is what a resident of Esponellà, a Girona municipality located in the northwest of the Catalan region of Pla de l'Estany, has spent. A consumption that has forced the city council to open a file that will result in a fine that will range between 1,500 and 3,000 euros.
The case was detected after analyzing the water consumption of the homes in Esponellà. A report carried out by the company responsible for distribution shows how, quarter after quarter, this house has accumulated "extraordinarily high" consumption, which far exceeds the restrictions set by the Generalitat (230 liters per inhabitant per day).
It is a case that has the council on its head. It is not the first time that this neighbor has flouted the regulations approved by the Catalan executive, which does not rule out approving new restrictions in the face of persistent drought. Furthermore, Esponellà is one of the Catalan municipalities that is in an exceptional phase due to the drought, since in recent months it has exceeded the average allowed by the Generalitat: in November it reached a consumption of 291 liters per person per day; and in December, 273.
In fact, the mayor of Esponellà, David Juan, has already met with the neighbor who has been wasting water to inform him that the disciplinary file has been opened. And he has asked him to change his attitude. The file concludes that the neighbor used too much water to fill the pool and water the garden of his home. He also suspects there is some type of water leak in the parcel's water infrastructure.
"The rules must be followed," recalls the councilor in statements to Ràdio Banyoles. According to the mayor, these types of measures are important because they are "exemplary" for the entire population.
"These behaviors of people who do not take into account the extreme drought situation in which we find ourselves will be persecuted and sanctioned. And from the city council we will try to correct them as much as possible," adds Juan.
If the neighbor persists in his wasteful attitude, the council warns that it will impose another fine. If this does not deter the neighbor either, the government team does not rule out cutting the connection to the municipal deposit and suspending the meter.
The file against this individual has been opened under the protection of municipal regulations and is compatible with other sanctions from the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) or the Generalitat.
