- The Chief Executive spoke on water and drought in Marseilles at the États Régionaux de l’Eau summit
The President of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, spoke this Wednesday in Marseilles at the États Régionaux de l’Eau summit on water and drought organised by the government of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, where he explained the Catalan Government’s management of the drought situation in Catalonia and called for alliances with other Mediterranean territories. “It is essential to share experiences and jointly combat the effects of climate change,” he said.
The Chief Executive pointed out that drought situations will become more frequent and more intense. “If anyone doubted the existence of climate change, we are experiencing it in the form of drought,” he said. He stated that this will be one of the issues he will work on together with the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, in addition to generating green hydrogen and organising a “grand Mediterranean alliance to face the challenges of climate change”.
Aragonès argued that these episodes of drought must be combated by saving water, but also by boosting water production from desalination, drinking water treatment and reclamation.
In this regard, he stressed that since the approval of the Drought Plan in 2021 in Catalonia, more than 240 cubic hectometres of water have been produced through desalination, reclamation and drought wells, equivalent to 28 months’ consumption of the city of Barcelona. He also highlighted that the Government has promoted subsidies and investment of up to 2,400 million euros until 2027 with the aim of increasing the availability of new water by 30%.
