READ CATALAN VERSION
The drought gives no respite in our country with the entry into the emergency phase on February 2 of 202 municipalities in the Ter-Llobregat system. This situation forces the Government of the Generalitat to redouble efforts to help Catalan municipalities prevent, combat and alleviate the effects of water scarcity. The Catalan executive has approved increasing aid from 90 to 200 million so that local entities can make investments to face the drought.
Last July, the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) announced, for the first time in its history, an aid line endowed with 50 million euros to help local entities repair leaks in municipal networks and improve your efficiency.
The ACA has received an avalanche of applications, more than 880, from more than 700 town councils and local entities. A figure that far exceeds the budget initially allocated in the call. To meet all requests, and in accordance with the Government's commitment to the local world, the Department of Climate Action has decided to contribute an additional 70 million. Thus, the final allocation of the call will be 120 million euros.
Other aid that doubles the amount is intended for actions by local entities for mitigation and adaptation to climate change. These subsidies – called last March for the drafting of municipal plans and
projects, and in August for the execution of projects –, for a total amount of 40 million from the Climate Fund, will finally have an endowment of 80 million euros.
These aid will be allocated as a priority to projects that achieve more efficient water management. According to the type of projects presented, approximately 50% of the total allocation, approximately 40 million, will be allocated to actions related to drought.
With these two budget expansions announced, the Government will have already allocated close to 560 million euros to address the drought situation since the Special Drought Plan (PES) was activated in September 2021.
In addition, the ACA has made aid of almost €190 million available to city councils and supply companies so that they can improve supply and ensure that all people have access to water. There have been 13 million for the improvement and reinforcement of supra-municipal supply networks; 1 million for the improvement of high flow controls; 40 million to improve high supply; 5 million for the co-financing of water transportation in tanker trucks and emergency works; 10 million for the recovery and construction of wells; and up to 120 million to improve the efficiency of declining municipal supply networks.
In addition, it has allocated 40 million in aid to local entities for adaptation to climate change, focusing on drought.
One of the sectors that has suffered the most from the ravages of the drought has been the peasantry. For this reason, the Government has allocated a total of 160 million in aid to this group.
Up to 145 million in direct aid have been made available to the primary sector, through four agricultural tables, to which a fifth package will be added, planned for the next table, to reach 160 million in aid. The Government guarantees that everyone in the countryside can continue with their activity despite the fact that there will be a terrible campaign due to the lack of water.
Finally, 168 million euros have been allocated to the modernization of irrigation. This package includes long-sought actions such as the modernization of Valls irrigation, actions on the Segarra-Garrigues canal and the start of the Xerta-Sénia irrigation works.
