The Government of the Generalitat has backtracked and rectified the announcement it made yesterday, Tuesday, in which it claimed to toughen the measures against the drought in Catalonia, specifically, by closing the showers in all sports facilities and gyms. "I was wrong, I didn't explain myself well," admitted the Acció Climàtica minister, David Mascort, before the microphones of El Món to RAC1.
Mascort has clarified that, if Catalonia enters the emergency phase due to drought - everything indicates that it could happen in mid-January - sports facilities that decide to continue watering soccer fields or filling swimming pools must close the showers.
"What we say to the facilities is 'if you want to continue watering the soccer fields or filling the swimming pools for sports, save the water you use with that with the showers,'" said the councilor with the aim of "compensating." the expense.
The special drought plan, approved in 2020, established that soccer fields could not be watered nor swimming pools filled. However, the Government considers that "preventing" young people and adolescents from practicing sports is "harmful." Therefore, "what we are trying to do is establish formulas so that they can continue playing sports," he stressed that the objective is to maintain the continuity of all sports activities.
"Showers in locker rooms use much more water than filling swimming pools. Therefore, we believe it is logical to ration them."
Regarding the application of the measure in sports clubs such as Barça, Girona or Espanyol, he assured that "it is the same case." "If they have to water the field on game day, I'm sure they will compensate with the showers at the sports city. I have no doubt that they will do it."
Mascort concluded by assuring that the situation is "very critical." "If it doesn't rain, what will come will be much more serious. The only solution is to save the maximum amount of water we have. We have to face it as a country challenge."
