Experts propose connecting Catalan water systems to tackle drought

Engineering experts have proposed building a €300 million pipe system that would allow separate water systems in Catalonia to be connected. The proposal came on a day of a debate on how to increase resilience against drought. 

They have recommended linking the water supply network of the Barcelona metropolitan area with that of Tarragona. The aim is to create a water corridor connecting all the Catalan networks, increasing the region's resilience to drought.  

"We must be able to provide solutions that do not depend on the weather to guarantee water supply, and this includes water reuse, desalination and also the interconnection of networks, which increases the resilience of the system," stressed Marc Oliva, President of the Circular Economy Commission of Industrial Engineers.

To create this water corridor, experts suggest starting by connecting the Ter-Llobregat system, which supplies water to the Barcelona metropolitan area, to the Tarragona Water Consortium (CAT). They say that this is the most technically, financially and environmentally viable solution.

The experts proposed a reversible system, regulated by an environmental compensation scheme, at a cost of 300 million euros, with a construction period of 18 months.