The president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, has confirmed this Tuesday that the drought is the most serious problem facing Catalonia at the moment, and has warned that this situation will not be "an exception".
"We would be wrong if we approach it as an exception. We understand that they will be more common and more intense due to climate change," he warned in an appearance after the meeting of the Consell Executiu.
For Aragonès, the drought is explained by climate change, and he has emphasized the need to "adapt the country" to this phenomenon, which he anticipates will be repeated in the coming years.
He has ensured that the Government has "the solution" with actions in the short, medium and long term to avoid greater restrictions on water, which involves making efficient use of water; increase the capacity of desalination and water treatment plants, and progress in the management plan for internal basins and the management plan of the Agència Catalana de l'Aigua (ACA) to adapt to climate change, among others.
"After 32 months of drought, we have removed the emergency situation, although we are in a state of exceptionality," he added.
He has stressed that the 2023 Budgets provide for more than 700 million euros in infrastructure and improvements to combat drought, and has specified that the Government will work with operators and municipalities through a line of 50 million to improve efficiency and reduce leaks of water in municipal supply networks.
Aragonès has reiterated that this situation forces the Generalitat to make a significant effort to adapt Catalonia to the new climatic reality, to which he has said that "not one euro will be spared".
He explained that in 2023, progress has been made in infrastructures that will guarantee water in the future, such as the new Besòs treatment station (Barcelona); the expansion of the Tordera desalination plant, located in Blanes (Girona), and the new Foix desalination plant, which will serve Tarragona and Penedès.
Asked about the summit due to the drought held last Friday, March 31, at the Palau de la Generalitat with all the parliamentary groups except Vox, and which ended without an agreement after almost four hours of meeting, Aragonès pointed out that there was agreement on all the measures less in the regulation of the sanctioning regime.
"The Government will promote the agreed measures", said the president, who has assured that all the groups are in favor of the water treatment plants, of expanding the desalination plants, of building the Foix plant and of giving lines of support to the city councils, has concluded .
