Fifty municipalities in Catalonia have their water supply guaranteed thanks to tanker trucks, which illustrates the impact of the drought on localities not connected to large high-speed supply networks. The Catalan Water Agency (ACA) has granted 59 grants to municipalities for emergency actions that include, in addition to the provision of water in tanker trucks, the opening of wells and network connections at the local level. These are data from the Catalan Water Agency (ACA), which has allocated 1.3 million euros to co-finance these requests for help to transport water in tanker trucks and carry out emergency works.
The problem affects municipalities that depend on their own subsoil reserves, since they are not connected to the large supply networks under the jurisdiction of the Generalitat. A common problem detected is that, as the volume of groundwater available in wells is reduced, the resources that remain are of poorer quality until they become unusable.
The water supply with cisterns is done with resources captured in wells that have a concession for this purpose, and transportation must be carried out by authorized approved companies.
According to the ACA, of these 59 new aid, 38 have been destined to co-finance the transportation of water in tanker trucks, 13 to carry out emergency actions (often opening wells or connections with other networks…) and eight to actions that have involved these areas (both cisterns and wells). The Generalitat contributes between 30 and 95% of the total cost, depending on the census population, with a limit of 100,000 euros. Castellcir (Moianès), Mediona (Anoia) and L’Espluga de Francolí (Conca de Barberà) or the Consell Comarcal de la Segarra, with 100,000 euros, are the local entities that have received the most aid; Castellbel i el Vilar (Bages) has received 91,237 euros and Alforja (Baix Camp) 85,000 euros. Of the total grants awarded, 20 are located in the Ponent regions, 19 correspond to the Barcelona regions, 17 to those of Tarragona and three to those of Girona. The expenses covered by this aid correspond to interventions carried out between January 1 and June 30, 2023.
In total between 2022 and 2023, the ACA has granted a total of 213 grants, which have involved a municipal investment of 190 million euros to finance interventions to guarantee water supply since the Drought Plan came into force in 2021.
Vallirana (in Baix Llobregat) is another of the municipalities that has required increasingly frequent support from tankers to fill its tanks. The City Council of this municipality has suffered episodes of “turbidity” in the drinking water of one of its fundamental wells (Barquera 1), an incident that adds to the effects of the drought on a town that seriously suffers from the lack of water resources. Its neighbors are waiting like May rain for the connection to the Ter-Llobregat network, scheduled for 2026 according to the Generalitat.
The Catalan Water Agency plans to allocate 120 million to improve the efficiency of local networks (modernization, avoiding leaks…), despite the fact that this is not its responsibility. Initially, it was planned to allocate 50 million euros for this purpose, but this figure will be increased to a maximum of an additional 70 million. In total, municipalities have submitted 880 requests to update their networks (corresponding to 700 town councils and local entities), which has exceeded forecasts. In order to review all applications, the deadline was extended by 5 more months. “This extension also allows the budget allocation to be expanded and thus the maximum possible aid can be granted,” says the ACA.
