The City Council of Begur, in Baix Empordà (Girona) has set a limit of 138 liters of water per inhabitant per day with the aim of "drastically" reducing consumption in the face of emergency.
This amount is well below that established by the Generalitat when the worst drought scenario is entered - emergency 3 - in which the provision will be limited to 160 liters per inhabitant per day.
The council is thus intensifying measures to promote water saving because, despite the efforts it has made, in Begur current consumption far exceeds the restrictions set by the Government.
According to December data, the latest released by the Catalan Water Agency (ACA), that month the municipality consumed 495 liters per inhabitant per day.
Given the entry into emergency due to the persistent lack of rain, the Begur City Council has activated a new phase of its Plan de Sequera.
In this case, some of the measures run parallel to what is established in the decree of the Catalan Water Agency (ACA), but others extend further. "To stop the municipality's high consumption, additional regulations are established," the council emphasizes.
In Begur, despite all the measures that the city council has taken, water consumption has been increasing in recent months.
Starting in August, when consumption per inhabitant per day was managed to drop to 313 liters, the figure has only increased. In September, it went to 356; in October, at 409; In November, it climbed to 487; and in December, it grew to 495.
To lower that figure, the government team has agreed to substantially reduce the allowed amount. Placing it, even, below the limit that sets the entry into emergency 3 due to drought (the worst of the scenarios foreseen by the Government). If then the limit per inhabitant per day would be lowered to 160 liters, the Begur City Council has now established a limit of 138 liters, which not only includes domestic use, but also economic and commercial activities.
The rest of the restrictions that the municipality applies when entering an emergency, and that it has already disseminated to the population, are in line with those established by the Generalitat. Among them, it is completely prohibited to fill or refill swimming pools with fresh water, and only partially filling those used for sports practice is allowed "in the quantities essential to guarantee their sanitary quality."
Furthermore, gardens and green areas may only be irrigated to guarantee the survival of trees using regenerated or groundwater water. Streets and cars cannot be washed with drinking water - except for car washes that have water recirculation - and it is only authorized to use buckets and sponges to clean shop windows and windows.
The Councilor for the Environment, Jordi González, explains that although Begur now implements the drought emergency plan, "many of the measures have already been followed de facto." For example, beach showers have already been closed in the summer of 2023, and the council has used reclaimed water both for watering gardens and for cleaning streets.
"Reducing consumption is in the hands of all citizens, as well as the people who visit us," emphasizes the mayor, Maite Selva. "That is why I ask for everyone's involvement, and to be aware of the emergency situation that we are experiencing as a people and as a society," adds the mayor, referring to the worsening of the drought.
