The state of emergency 1 due to drought decreed by the Generalitat of Catalonia on February 1 has caused municipalities to take extreme containment measures at a critical moment when the capacity of the water reserves of the Sau-Susqueda reservoirs is below 16%. Last Thursday, around sixty attendees, including mayors and councillors, met in Les Franquesas del Vallès in an event organized by the Environment area of the Regional Council of Vallès Oriental.
In the Vallès Oriental, the drought emergency in the Ter-Llobregat system affects 30 of the 39 municipalities in the region, which represents a real challenge for the smaller municipalities. Didac Santisteban, Environment Minister of the Regional Council, highlights that “entering the drought phase means more restrictions and more sanctions for municipalities that cannot comply.” Small town councils cannot afford short-term investments, therefore the Regional Council has to evaluate each case individually and know what each town council wants and needs.
The Consell Comarcal del Vallès Oriental shows that the main concerns of the town councils are to reduce hydraulic consumption, establish control regimes and establish sanctions for individuals who fail to comply with the rules. A series of measures that will serve to anticipate the possible effects of the drought at an economic and occupational level.
The manager of the Besos Tordera Consortium, Albert Solà, has shown his willingness to help municipalities with regenerated water to be able to carry out cleaning or municipal irrigation, as long as it is restricted and used appropriately.
Beyond the shortage of hydraulic resources to supply the supply network, the great concern is the historic drought of the last three years, which has already had a strong impact on the primary sector.
