Inma Lidón Valencia
Valencia
Updated Saturday, February 3, 2024-14:47
The Government is already thinking about bringing
water by boat to Catalonia
as a way to alleviate the severe drought that is hitting the central regions, Girona and the Costa Brava. The resources will be activated and will arrive from the Sagunto desalination plant, as confirmed by the Minister of Ecological Transition,
Teresa Ribera
, to the president of the Generalitat,
Carlos Mazón
.
Ribera has guaranteed the head of the Valencian Executive that the
capacity of the desalination plant will be increased "above 15%"
but that it will not have "any effect on the needs of the province of Valencia."
"I am in favor of water solidarity between regions, a solidarity that must be officially extended to all of Spain," and that desalinated water has a priority and almost exclusive use for
drinking emergencies
, not for irrigation because this is very harmful to our crops and citrus," Mazón said in a statement.
The president has taken advantage of this conversation with the minister to request a meeting that aims to address the water needs of the Valencian Community on two issues that are priorities for the Consell: the
Tajo-Segura transfer
and the emergency contributions that the
Albufera
needs .
The president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón.GVA
The Generalitat has an open dispute with the Government over the Tajo Hydrological Plan, which includes the increase in the ecological flows of the river as it passes through Aranjuez, which implies a cut in the water transferable to the Segura basin.
The Valencian Executive does not believe that the solution to meet the irrigation needs of the south of the Valencian Community is desalination, due to the impact it has on crops such as citrus or tomatoes. Furthermore, the investments promised by the Government to increase the capacity of Valencian desalination plants such as the one in Torrevieja are still pending.