Confusion and concern in the Catalan industry. Various sectors have expressed their concern in relation to the lack of clear and simple guidelines on how to apply the obligation to reduce water consumption by 25% in the current emergency phase. The sustainable development director of Foment del Treball, Salvador Sedó, has also conveyed the uneasiness that exists in various business sectors due to what he considers a lack of communication between companies, town councils and the Catalan Water Agency (ACA ). These economic sectors regret that the Generalitat has not given “clear instructions” to the councils on how this reduction in consumption should be implemented.
The industries that are large consumers of water (with more than 500,000 m3) are under the tutelage of the ACA, to which they have already communicated their consumption. But in the case of industries connected to the general network, the competition is under the responsibility of the municipalities. However, the Federation of Municipalities of Catalonia admits that the distribution of competences requires clarification.
The special drought plan establishes that in the current emergency phase municipalities cannot exceed an allocation of 200 liters per person per day for all uses (urban, commercial, domestic). According to some interpretations, the industry is included in the general objective and is calculated together with the rest of the uses (some municipalities have a larger allocation taking into account the weight of their industry), but other voices believe that the specific objective of 25% must prevail.
On the other hand, municipalities should have a specific ordinance if they want to enforce this requirement, according to PSC sources. However, the councils do not have the staff to carry out this control, they add.
The drought plan indicates that the holders of water uses (a concession of a well…) can propose lower percentages of water savings than those established (25%) by presenting a plan savings that justify the proposed reduction.
However, employers consider that there are uncertainties in the cases of industries that have previously made their savings plans or made investments in regeneration and recycling and that do not know if they also have to cut water consumption 25% despite having already achieved significant savings.
In the opinion of all of them, it does not make sense to require the same restrictions on industries that have already submitted consumption reduction plans to the Catalan Water Agency, and that are adopting measures, as on those that they haven’t
“We don’t know how this 25% reduction measure will affect us. We understand that the water saving plans of the industry connected to the general network must be presented to the town councils, but I doubt that they are ready”, says Josep Moré, vice-president of Texfor/Confederation of the Textile Industry, which brings together the sector of spinning, fabrics, dyes and finishes throughout Spain. “Will the industries that have already made investments in water saving be asked for a 25% cut again?” Moré asks with concern.
In addition, Foment del Treball has asked the Generalitat to take into account, when regulating possible reductions in water pressure, certain “essential services”, such as the agri-food industry or certain areas of the distribution logistics.
Ignasi Pons, general secretary of the Meat and Meat Industries Federation (Fecic), warns about the strong impact that water restrictions can have on the activity of the sector (slaughterhouses, cutting rooms), due to the which companies are evaluating the consequences. This field of work requires a lot of water consumption, because strict hygienic measures must be adopted (cleaning of slaughterhouses, trucks, tables…) and although it is reducing consumption and optimizing cleaning, it is not has been able to deploy its proposal to reuse water. “The solution is that we can reuse the water, but the regulation does not allow it”, he laments. The reused water could be used to clean animal transport trucks or outdoor facilities, adds Pons. “We need legislation that allows it”.
The situation in Catalonia also marks the political agenda in Aragon. After it has been made public that the Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, will be interviewed on Monday with the Councilor for Climate Action, David Mascort, in a meeting in which the possible emergency solutions for the drought in Catalonia), the president of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, yesterday by letter requested an “urgent meeting” with the representative of the Socialist Government to explain to her his rejection of any interconnection of the water network of the ‘ Ebro in Tarragona with that of the metropolitan area of ??Barcelona, ??qualified without funnels of “transfer”.
“It doesn’t cross my mind that if the minister meets with the Generalitat she doesn’t do it with the Government of Aragon. No decision can be made about the Ebro without first listening to the people of Aragon”, assessed Azcón assuming that this will be discussed. The Aragonese president held an institutional interview with the new president of the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation (CHE), Carlos Arrazola.
The transfer of Hebrew is a capital issue – and thorny – in Aragon, where in the past there have already been mass mobilizations against some attempts to transfer money.
The fact that Ribera recently did not rule out “extraordinary measures” to alleviate emergency situations in Catalonia put many parties in the region on guard, as speculation quickly arose and it was suspected that the central government could use the ” transfer” as an element of “negotiation with the pro-independence parties”.
“We are upset because we have seen cessions in Catalonia that we previously thought were impossible to take place”, assured Azcón. The Aragonese leader fears that if the Catalan Government puts the interconnection of networks on the table, it would be “a new blackmail that the Government of Pedro Sánchez will accept. And this is going over Aragon and its interests”, he added.
But the reality is that the Government of the Generalitat has rejected this possibility.
Regarding the lack of water in Catalonia, the Aragonese leader indicated that they are waiting to know what proposals the Ministry and the Generalitat have to evaluate. He also urged the Catalan authorities to do a “deep reflection” on how this situation has been reached. “Their problem is that they have been more dependent on independence or amnesty than water”, he criticized.
