The origin of the possible extra resources to face the drought in the Barcelona region remains under debate. The Secretary of Climate Action of the Generalitat, Anna Barnadas, has rejected the proposal of four professional associations (Enginyers de Camins, Enginyers Agrònoms, Enginyers Industrials and Economistes de Catalunya) to connect the Ebro ministravase in Tarragona with the supply network of the metropolitan area of Barcelona. Reasons of a very diverse nature are put forward to oppose this proposal by engineers and economists (from questioning that the Ebro basin is surplus to the fact that consumption could be higher than the theoretical concession, to the risk of a water war in the Ebro area, among many others).
Meanwhile, the Government is also considering the transport of desalinated water from the Valencian Community, if the drought worsens, as an option in a few months.
Barnadas points out that the “Government does not see the connection of the mini-transfer from the Ebro to the Camp de Tarragona with the supply networks” of the Aigües Ter-Llobregat system as viable because it does not consider that the Ebro basin is surplus, given the drought alert it has already suffered. a few months ago.
The Executiu is not in favor of joining these networks, because the proposed connection "is a fixed structure, and that could result in (transferring) more water from the Ebro than is necessary at a specific time."
The professional associations propose extending the mini-transfer from the Ebro to the Barcelona region, taking advantage of the fact that the entire water concession granted to Camp de Tarragona is not being used and there are resources available.
Its promoters emphasize that the connection would only be operational “in exceptional cases of drought” or in the event of other emergencies and, furthermore, it would be reversible. But all this does not convince the Government.
“When the time comes when this action must be carried out, we will try to ensure that this contribution or transfer is from a surplus basin, but given that the entire Mediterranean basin is very sensitive, we should carefully assess where we are going to look for this water,” he says. Barnadas. The Secretary of Climate Action emphasizes that the future priority is to increase resources from desalination and regenerated water.
Minister David Mascort has referred on several occasions to the possibility of transporting water in boats to Barcelona and has pointed out Tarragona as a possible point of origin, but Barnadas clarifies: “We have considered carrying water in boats, but we have not determined where it would come from. . “The ideal is that it come from a place that does not cause any social, environmental or economic harm, and that is not easy.”
Therefore, one of the options proposed is to carry out this transportation “from an area that has more desalination capacity” with which “we could have desalinated water by boat.”
“We have assessed what the sources of this water could be. And there are areas of the Valencian Country that have many desalination plants; and maybe we could go get this water. Yeah; We have talked about Tarragona; But until it is necessary we will not be able to assess exactly where we are going to look for the water without causing harm to a specific person,” he adds.
The Secretary of Climate Action clarifies that if it is finally decided to take water from the Ebro it will be "a specific event, it will not be through a fixed conduit."
Anna Barnadas emphasizes that "the survival of the country and its water resources can only be focused if we are able to adapt demand to supply; not naturally to that of the current supply, conditioned by the enormous drought, but to the offer that there was, for example, in 2020, so that activities could be done normally." She insists that new resources must be desalinated and regenerated water to be reused.
"If, on the contrary, we make various fixed supplies - he points out, referring to catchments in other hydrographic basins - one day we could find ourselves with a 'water war' in the Ebro basin," he says.
"Water resources that may seem reliable at one time can quickly cease to be so as climate change progresses," he maintains.
A few weeks ago, the professional associations requested a meeting with Minister Mascort to present their proposal, but they complain that they have not received a response for the meeting.
