The President of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, yesterday called for a consensus to “rebuild the bases” that allow a better use of water resources and anticipate the response to future episodes of drought. Aragonès expressed himself in this sense in the act of constitution of the national water table. This coordination space brings together representatives of thirty social entities, administrations, agricultural groups, unions and business organizations, among others. This dialogue process should lead to the national water pact next year.
The creation of the national water table is an attempt to redefine the uses of water and its priorities in the face of the chronic scarcity of water resources in Catalonia. And, at the same time, it is an attempt by the Government to coordinate the action seeking social complicity after verifying how the lack of water tests the country’s solidarity in a context of climate change and conflicting interests.
“We are here to jointly draw up a country strategy that involves all of us to make Catalonia much more resilient in the face of a water shortage that we are suffering especially today, but that it is clear that in the coming years it will occur more frequently and with greater intensity,” he said.
Aragonès advocated that Catalonia prepare to “change the way we produce, obtain and consume water”.
The objective of this space for debate is to create a framework for collaboration between the agents involved to guarantee a more efficient use of water resources. In this first meeting, sectorial and territorial working groups have been organized, each of which is focused so that each sector can define its plan to improve the use of water.
A total of 25 social entities have presented a document with 43 measures to deal with the drought. The spokesman for the entity Aigua és vida, Dante Maschio, considered that the constitution of the table is an opportunity to “address, once and for all, the country model and the solutions on how to contain the demand in a context scarcity, which is not only due to the lack of rain, but also to historical mismanagement”. The NGOs demand that priority be given to an increase in the environmental or ecological flows of the rivers, since these are a “prior restriction on other uses.” Likewise, they ask that it be taken into account that “water is a human right”. Maschio expressed his criticism of the model of “industrial and intensive agriculture and livestock that monopolizes and contaminates water,” for which he asked that the water for these activities not be considered a priority use when this production is destined for export. These entities have requested a public rehabilitation program that requires the installation of separate double networks for the use of gray and rainwater in new buildings and in comprehensive rehabilitations, which would require modifying the technical building code.
They also demand that the ecological flows of the Ebro river be increased, the renaturalization of river courses and the requirement of drought plans also for municipalities with more than 5,000 inhabitants. “We will not oppose measures that gather consensus if the Water Law is complied with,” say Government sources.
The Association of Municipalities and Entities for Public Water (AMAP) considered that this is an opportunity to “rethink public management” of water and wanted the emphasis to be placed on savings policies.