The cities of the association of municipalities Arc Metropolitana, in which large Catalan cities of the metropolitan region of Barcelona are integrated, such as Sabadell or Mataróhas demanded that the Generalitat de Catalunya authorize the town councils to fill out the municipal swimming pools this summer to “act like climate shelters and attend to the citizen’s public health needs”.
“Opening the swimming pools is a public health issue”, they have defended the mayors of Sabadell, Martorell, Vilafranca del Penedès and Mataró this Wednesday at a press conference before the media in Vilafranca. The claim is added to that of mayors of other large Catalan cities such as Girona, Badalona or Sant Cugat del Vallès, that also require the Government to count on them for the measures antidrought, as they explained this Wednesday to EL PERIÓDICO.
The claim of mayors of the Arc Metropolitana happened after the Executive committee of the association in relation to the recent activation of the ‘anti-drought decree’ approved by the Generalitat and ratified by Parliament on March 22. Through this new regulation, the Government labels the situation of drought as “catastrophic scenario“ where water consumption “is absolutely worrying”.
The aforementioned legal corpus has three objectives: to protect the catering; expedite the formalities to make the necessary actions; and penalize the breaches. The measures, however, has not received a good reception by the Arc Metropolità, an association that covers the territories of the second metropolitan crown.
In the opinion of Arc Metropolitana, “the voice of the consistories has not been taken into account”. The entity will urge the Government to carry out a “new decree of drought agreed“that includes the main initiative that they have put on the table, the municipal swimming pools, as well as the use of fountains. At the same time, the consistories have reproached the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) a lack of investment in water infrastructure and have demanded a plan that anticipates future situations of lack of water
“Pressure” on the consistories
In reference to the sanctions that the ACA may impose on the consistories in the event of possible breach of the decree, the mayoress of Sabadell and president of the Arc Metropolità, martha farreshas insisted that “you cannot put all the pressure on the city councils”.
The councilors have lamented that the Generalitat have “thrown miles”, thus showing themselves predisposed to be “interlocutors” in the definition of the measures to deal with the drought. In this sense, the mayor of Mataró, David Boathas stressed that the consistories feel “co-responsible for an extraordinarily complicated situation”, although it has specified that the main competence in water management falls on the Generalitat.
For this reason, they have criticized that at this time the situation of the exceptional phase drought prevent, for example, filling municipal swimming pools if they have had to be empty to be repaired.
The mayors insist on keeping public swimming pools open in summer, especially in municipalities that are not on the coast. “Let’s imagine a new hot summerwith swimming pools closed and without power drinking water from the sources”, exclaimed the mayor of Martorell, Xavier Fonollosawho has stressed that having these facilities is a priority “public health”.
Farrés, for his part, has assured that “more and more families are they can’t afford air conditioningwhich is why swimming pools are essential”, and has asked the Generalitat “to be sensitized”.
The councilors have accused the Generalitat of “not having invested enough” in water management in recent years. From Vilafranca, pere regull has reproached that “work has not been done before” in terms of sewage treatment plants and has called for a “real” investment plan to face future similar episodes. “These actions far exceed the investment capacity of the municipalities,” he added.
municipal financing
In addition to the decree and the measures related to the drought, the Executive Committee of the Arc Metropolità has approved another resolution to request both the State and the Generalitat the legal reforms necessary to improve the financing of the municipalities. The new financing should start from a model agreed between the State, the autonomous governments and the local administrations, the municipalities claim.
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The mayors also ask for changes to more broadly introduce a progressive participation in the set of taxes, more power of direct management of the European reconstruction funds and compensation mechanisms that cover the reduction of municipal income derived from the surplus value reform.
In addition, another resolution has been approved to ask the Agency of l’Habitatge of Catalonia that clarifies the collaboration framework with the town councils in order to receive subsidies contemplated in the funds Next Generation for the energy rehabilitation of buildings managed by the agency.