Catalonia’s government is making big spending plans in a bid to deal with a years-long water crisis stemming from the region’s worse ever drought. The aim? To achieve guaranteed water security that no longer depends on rainfall. The cost? €2.3 billion by 2040, a million more than previous measures.
The additional outlay is part of a water management strategy updated last week by regional President Salvador Illa, involving the construction of at least 13 new water desalination plants that, by 2027, will see the drought-stricken province able to source 70% of its water supplies without relying on rainwater reservoirs. Non-rainwater sources fulfill just 33% of region’s water needs at present.
Waste water will also be treated differently under the scheme, diverted to help with agricultural water supplies and to replenish aquifers, and inefficient pipework in urban areas will be replaced.
💧Catalunya ha iniciat el camí per canviar el model de gestió de l'aigua per evitar dependre de la pluja. Amb el repte de passar del 33% dels recursos propis d'ara al 70% hem accelerat inversions i transformacions. La transició hídrica significa equipar el país amb estructures… pic.twitter.com/8w6qpbJrWY
— Sílvia Paneque (@SilviaPaneque) August 29, 2024
No penalties for excessive use
The new plan also does away with the previous administration’s threats of penalties for communities that consume too much water, a change likely to be welcomed by Spaniards who can hardly be accused of excessive water use: Barcelona’s authorities have estimated that locals use 99 litres per day, on the edge of the 50 to 100 litres per capita per day required for basic health and sanitation, according to the UN, and far less than the national and European averages, and just 60% of the average tourist’s water use.
Being economical with water must now be second nature to them. In February 2024, reservoirs were declared to less than 16% full, following three consecutive years of low rainfall. Daily limits of 200 litres were imposed and a so-called “hosepipe ban” was implemented, prohibiting residents from filling their swimming pools and watering their gardens. Farmers and industry too had to respect restrictions.
Tourists accued of old-fashioned attitudes to water consumption
In this climate, resentment about exceptions for hospitality and tourists came to the surface during recent elections, and Politico has reported the director of the Catalan Institute for Water Research, Vicenç Acuña, accusing tourists of behaving “like people here did 30 years ago” when it comes to trying to save water.
With anti-tourism sentiment running high throughout Spain and its islands, the situation was so acute that the region’s capital was forced to change its 15-year-strong tourism slogan from “Visit Barcelona” to “This is Barcelona” this summer. The tweak may not seem much, but it signifies a shift explained by Mateu Hernández, the city’s General Director of Tourism, who said, “today, Turisme de Barcelona no longer calls for people to visit us in general. Today, Turisme de Barcelona makes an affirmation of the importance of our identity as a city and that is why we have gone from “Visit” to “This is Barcelona.”
Under the new €2.3-billion water plan, authorities will be hoping that identity is a well-hydrated one.
