Agbar and the Mossos d'Esquadra have agreed to activate a preventive security plan at the water treatment plants during these times of drought. The aim of the agreement is to prevent copper theft - a criminal activity that has been on the rise in recent months - especially at treatment plants. The theft of this material in some critical facilities could even mean that they would stop working, which would further aggravate the existing drought situation.
The shutdown of a treatment plant, such as the Baix Llobregat one, would mean aggravating the drought situation, as it would affect the production of regenerated water. Currently, 1,500 liters per second of regenerated water are pumped from the Water Regeneration Station (ERA) of the Baix Llobregat treatment plant upstream to Molins de Rei, to be poured into the river and eight kilometers further down capture it again at the Sant Joan Despí water treatment plant to treat it and distribute it to a population of almost 3 million people. 25% of the water consumed by the metropolitan area of Barcelona comes from regenerated water.
The Penal Code, in article 240.2, punishes individuals who steal conduits, cables, equipment or infrastructure components intended for the provision of services of general interest with penalties of 2 to 5 years in prison.
The agreement reached between Agbar and the Department of the Interior of the Generalitat for the deployment of this security plan involves an increase in the presence of Mossos d'Esquadra agents in a preventive manner in all installations. In addition, it foresees that, in the event of the alarms going off, the Mossos will receive a warning from Agbar and will prioritize any intervention to protect these key infrastructures and guarantee the continuity of the service.
Fears of the actions of copper thieves in vitally important infrastructures are more than justified. The price of this material on the black market, which already experienced moments of splendor during the worst times of the financial crisis that began in 2008, has shot up again and, with this phenomenon, they have also reappeared with force copper subtractions. In the case of commuter trains, this type of crime has been responsible for dozens of breakdowns, interruptions and service delays. With this plan agreed between Agbar and the Mossos d'Esquadra, the aim is to prevent the problem from recurring.
