Covid, runaway inflation as a result of the war in Ukraine and the drought in part of Catalonia are the three major crises that Pere Aragonès' Executive has had to face. The water shortage is the most serious that has occurred in Catalonia in its entire history and at the political level it coincides with a Government that only has 33 deputies supporting them from the Parliament. Today, the entire opposition of the Catalan Chamber has reproached the President of the Generalitat for his management of the drought, the majority considering that he acted late or because other sectors were favored, in their opinion, such as tourism, in to the detriment of the primary sectors or local citizens.
The opposition has attacked Aragonès in the control session. Aragonès has tried to deal with all the criticism. He recalled that the Sequera Special Plan has been active since 2021 and that thanks to it there is predictability of all the steps to be taken. He has exposed the different aid: 190 million in aid to the local world, 160 million to the countryside affected by the drought, 168 for the modernization of irrigation. And he has stated that he will not contribute “to the demonization” of any sector, in clear reference to the attacks by some groups on the tourism and hotel sectors.
Junts has demanded self-criticism from the Republicans, given that they have been in charge of the different agricultural departments of the Generalitat. “If the management of the drought crisis demonstrates anything, it is that this Government thinks more about being in the Government than about governing,” said the leader of the party in the Parliament, Albert Batet.
Batet has criticized the double path that the president has followed to fight against water scarcity: “The first, that the solution comes from heaven, that it rains” and that “now, instead of praying to Moreneta, they entrust themselves to the “Almudena.” The latter, in reference to the ships with water from the Sagunt desalination plant that the Government will send to Catalonia if the problem persists in summer.
In any case, JxCat has demanded that a new water summit be held. An idea that Salvador Illa, first secretary of the PSC, has supported. However, the socialist has maintained, unlike the rest of the groups, a more proactive attitude. “We must focus the country's energies on addressing this situation,” he assured before highlighting that political activity must be focused on “resolving the situation, not speculating.” Illa has asked Aragonès for flexibility to adapt to upcoming circumstances, and to lend itself to collaboration between administrations, something that has been demonstrated, he has acknowledged, with the help of tankers. “Collaborate, don't fine,” he has insisted. A blow to the sanctions that the Generalitat has imposed on some municipalities for excess water consumption.
Groups such as the CUP or En Comú Podem have emphasized the need to limit water consumption in the tourism sector. Cupera Laia Estrada has argued that if Aragonès asks the population to make an effort to consume less water resources, she should make the same request not only to the tourism sector, but also to large companies "that have dried up all the rivers." And she has criticized the arrival of cruise ships to the port of Barcelona which, according to what she has said, are big consumers. Aragonès has pointed out that beyond the fact that these vessels have their own desalination plant, they will not be able to refuel with water in Barcelona.
For her part, Jéssica Albiach, leader of the commons in Parliament, has demanded an end to the "barra libre" of tourism and has demanded that Aragonès declare it as a specific sector. In addition, Albiach has affirmed that the Government has acted late in "the worst drought in the history of Catalonia".
Ciudadanos and the PP have also attacked the Republican. Carlos Carrizosa, leader of the orange party, has disgraced Aragonès that he has gone "from saying that Spain robs us to saying that he hopes to have maximum collaboration from Spain" and has considered that he has delayed the operation of the desalination plants. Alejandro Fernández, of the PP, has criticized that he has “lost a decade” due to the lack of water investments.
