Catalan government in "permanent talks" with Spanish executive over transporting water by ship

The Catalan government is in "permanent talks" with Spain's Ministry for Ecological Transition to transport water by boat if it is needed, given the current ongoing drought in Catalonia.

This is one of the "emergency measures" that the executive is "finalizing" with the Spanish government, president Pere Aragonès explained in a media briefing in South Korea.

Aragonès assured that it is "essential to collaborate" with the ministry to find solutions, and has indicated that if the territory doesn't get rainfall in the coming weeks, it could enter an emergency period "in a month or a month and a half."

Spanish Climate Minister Teresa Ribera has already shown her Catalan counterpart, David Mascort, her willingness to collaborate in the transport of water by boat if necessary.

"A last resort"

Mascort insisted that transporting water to supply Barcelona and the metropolitan area is a scenario that must be anticipated, but said that is not expected before next summer. "It is a last resort," he said during a visit to the water treatment plant in Besòs.

However, the minister affirmed that the government is preparing for all scenarios, leading him to contact shipping companies to ask for their availability.

Works are ongoing at the Besós water treatment plant to expand its capacity. With the completion of the first phase of works, the plant will produce between 200 and 300 liters of treated water per second.

Looking ahead to next summer, when all the expansion works are expected to be completed, it is expected to produce up to 900 liters per second.