Both the capital as the set of Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) they strictly comply with the water consumption limit allowed by the Generalitat. Since the Government declared the exceptional nature of the Ter-Llobregat system, restrictions have been imposed on agricultural, industrial and urban irrigation, but an allocation per person per day has also been set: specifically 230 liters per person per day for municipalities in the of exceptionality.
The data for all of Catalonia depend on the Catalan Water Agency (ACA), which is finishing collecting and analyzing them to make them public. This is the commitment that the Government has reiterated in the last few hours.
The 25,000 houses with the highest expenses have been detected in areas with higher-than-average purchasing power
However, while the ‘department’ of Acció Climàtica continue working In these complex data, the WBA has given one step forward and made public theirs.
The AMB has decided to publish the data that the Generalitat continues to collect and analyze
He average consumption is 165 l. per person and day. That is to say, still far from the 230 l./pd allowed. This is the global of the entire metropolitan entity, but the ACA analyzes the data municipality by municipality. Of all the metropolitan councils there are only three, according to the data of the last three months, which exceed the maximum number established: Corbera of Llobregat, Cerverlló and the palm of cervellothree towns in Baix Llobregat that are very close to each other.
dramatic leaks
What is the reason? Mainly, the leaks suffered by these municipalities in the distribution networka serious problem that adds to high consumption. In general, in the Cervelló there are houses single-family upper-middle classes and 90% of the networks are over 30 years old, so almost 60% of the water is lost in leaks.
The AMB has sent letters to the users of these three municipalities to ask them for an additional effort
In the palm of cervelloalmost half of the buildings are also this type of houses, and the water yield is 50%that is to say that also much is lost through wear and tear and the aging of the supply system. In Corbera de Llobregat something similar happens. The AMB has sent letters to the users of these three municipalities to ask them for a extra effort. “It is not that the neighbors make very excessive consumption but that the networks lose a lot of water,” he says eloi badiadirector of the ecology area of the AMB.
The rest of the municipalities comply, although Montcada i Reixac, sant cugat, Sant Vicenc dels Horts, Sant Just Desvern and the papiol timidly flirt with the threshold, since all of them exceed 200 liters per inhabitant and day. In fact, an excessively high consumption has been detected, above 200 liters per person, in 25,000 houses in various cities.
individual responsibility
Where there is the highest percentage of people who exceed themselves is in Sant Cugat del Valles, Sant Just Desvern and Begues, places with incomes above the average. “They are usually single-family houses, in some houses with poolswhich still do not have good practice. To these we also send a letteras well as those of the three municipalities that exceed the maximum allowed”, assures badia.
The average consumption of the AMB compared to May 2022 has decreased by 5%
Those who consume less are Badia del Valles, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Pallejà and badalona. “In general terms, the metropolitan area complies,” Badia points out. If we compare the metropolitan average of this past month of May, with that of May 2022, the data shows that the citizens have reduced their spending by 5%. It seems that the state of drought somewhat influences citizen behavior. Even so, from the AMB, they assure that consumption must continue to be reduced.
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The main strategies are three: reduce the large consumer spending (these 25,000 who have received letters), adjust the consumption of economic sectors important (industry and tourism are included here) and finally hope that the grants that must come from the ACA and that would have to serve to avoid losses such as those of the three municipalities that fail to comply.
In the coming weeks, the Generalitat has promised to provide the data for all the cities and towns in Catalonia, for transparency, as the AMB has done. At the moment, non-compliers will not yet be fined, since first, they will be given the option of entering the call for aid for repairs in the distribution network.