The ups and downs of dealing with the drought crisis in Catalonia have become a constant on the part of the Generalitat. But while corrections have so far been about concrete announcements or restrictions, today the Catalan government has made something of a sweeping change to its own policy. David Mascort, Minister for Climate Action, gave an interview to TV3 this Monday in which he acknowledged that there are measures in the Special Drought Plan (PES), which guides the measures to be taken, that “do not seem quite right to us”. . “We are tied hand and foot. There is a regulation approved by the government, the PES, which states what restrictions should apply. “We read the fine print and tried to relax some restrictions that didn't seem quite right to us,” Mascort admitted. The adviser therefore referred to an anti-drought plan approved in 2020 by the government itself and which, although ERC did not hold the presidency of the Generalitat at the time, had 50% of the executive power with Junts per Catalunya.
Mascort also had to respond to the inconveniences that exist in the tourism sector due to the obstacles in filling hotel pools with a view to the summer season starting in a few weeks. Some hoteliers, for example in Lloret de Mar (Girona), intend to fill them with water from a desalination plant that they want to pay for out of their own pockets, which is not foreseen in the anti-drought plan. Mascort wouldn't say whether they would allow it. “Everything will depend on the environmental impact of the project and the concession of the Catalan Water Authority (ACA),” explained the consultant. The anti-drought measures document – approved under the presidency of Quim Torra and with a Junts advisor, Damià Calvet, at the head of the Territorial Ministry – does not foresee the use of swimming pools in the emergency phase when this is not the case Use salt water. Therefore, in the current situation, there would be no full swimming pools in a large part of the Catalan coast this summer.
The consultant has repeatedly stressed that the PES is designed to anticipate water crises such as the most serious to date in Catalonia in 2008. But he also believes that it is not well adapted to the current situation since, as he admits, they did not expect such an acute episode of lack of rainfall. “It was not expected that we would experience a drought like this, with 40 consecutive months without rain,” he assured. In fact, the Generalitat has slightly modified some restrictions of the emergency phase to adapt them to the current situation. It enabled “survival irrigation” of trees to better cope with upcoming heat episodes and those of sports facilities for association competitions. “We will allow people to continue to exercise,” Mascort argued in January, arguing that the pandemic has made it clear that exercise plays a fundamental role in the well-being of the population. They also reduced the ecological runoff of the Llobregat, Ter and Muga rivers more than originally envisaged in the PES and extended the ban on filling swimming pools to hotels and campsites.
Regarding the recent actions of some municipalities and hoteliers in Lloret del Mar, which have acquired portable desalination plants to fill the swimming pools, Mascort explained that although the PES does not allow this, everything depends on the characteristics of the project. “They need an administrative cost authorization, an authorization from the ACA and an environmental license based on the number of liters of seawater they need,” explained the consultant, who also explained that “each case will be examined.” €. It is an answer that Mascort has already given in subsequent meetings of the Executive Council when asked about the construction of the Hard Rock Casino in Tarragona, which would involve water consumption similar to that of a city of almost 30,000 inhabitants.
Mascort was also asked about the farmers' demands. The consultant explained that many farmers were already using less water than in previous years. “Just through the measures they have taken in feeding, many of them are already using less water,” explained Mascort, who also explained that the 50% restriction on water consumption in farm animals “has nuances” because the PES prioritizes this admits survival of animals. The city council has also asked that both farmers and ranchers gather on a single platform to share their options that will allow for easing of restrictions on water use. The sector is keen to extend the restriction to industrial activities but is exploring further options.
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