Those who claim that now is not the time to waste time criticizing the poor management of hydraulic infrastructure that has led us to the current drought emergency that affects six million people in Barcelona and Girona are right. But we must learn the lesson not to continue trusting all our luck to the rain.
So let's not talk about the past and discuss how we approach solutions for the future while thanking the Government and the Valencian Generalitat for coming to the rescue of Catalonia by sending us ships with desalinated water if it doesn't rain in May. (Some models managed by the Government predict rain that month).
Although many of us wonder why, in the face of this emergency, it is preferred to open the full swamps of the Ebro and see the 400 m3 per second of water flow downstream, while denying the 1.4 m3 per second of that water that Barcelona requests. Aid boats are also not allowed to load on that river and will have to travel twice the distance to reach Valencia, with the environmental and cost impact that this entails, since a dozen vessels are needed daily to supply Barcelona.
The payment formula proposed for investments in desalination and water treatment plants in Catalonia also deserves reflection. They warn us of sharp increases in consumers' bills because until now hydraulic management has been linked to the rate that citizens pay.
To date no one has complained about this exception within the welfare state that we defend so much. Thanks to this system, hospitals, schools, roads, trains or police, among many others, are paid for from the general budget that is funded by taxes and no one proposes charging a specific bill to pay for these services.
On the other hand, why does water have commercial treatment? Isn't it an essential element for life? Supplying water to the population should be the first priority of any government. There is no other need more vital.
When it comes to prioritizing, I have no doubt that citizens would sacrifice other demands rather than suffer harsh water restrictions. Water is expensive and anyone who spends more than necessary must pay, but be careful with marketing something so basic.
