Christophe Béchu, don't beat around the bush.
We must act quickly and launch work quickly so that global warming does not turn into an economic catastrophe in Roussillon in 2024. “It is a question of showing that there are people who are active, that solutions are available. work, rather than waiting.
Otherwise, we will generate a kind of eco-anxiety when we must create a desire to act and move,” launched the Minister of Ecological Transition during his visit to thirsty Catalan lands last Thursday.
“Here, in Torreilles, we save hundreds of cubic meters thanks to the installation of large reservoirs for an ultimately limited investment: 15,000 euros at the expense of the municipality plus a few thousand euros from the campsites.
Washing water from the swimming pool filter to clean the road,” observed Christophe Béchu with interest, before announcing the acceleration of the regulatory process to facilitate the reuse of filtered water leaving the treatment plants.
“Thus, in Argelès-sur-Mer, this year, we will be able to reuse nearly a million cubic meters which went directly into the sea,” indicated the minister while this station, forced last year to close in in the middle of summer, its aquatic center, has been calling for regulatory relaxation for months so that we can move from theory to practice of water reuse.
A specialist to help the department for three years
Christophe Béchu above all announced the imminent arrival of a “Mr. Water” for the Pyrénées-Orientales.
“He will be appointed in the coming days.
This involves providing the State, municipalities and all stakeholders with engineering support to optimize water management in this area with operators who do not always have the human resources to objectify the work.
You need to have the right advice at the right time.
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“This specialist will be assigned to the Pyrénées-Orientales for a period of three years,” promised the minister while the launch of the first development works is planned for the second half of April, which means the validation of the calls for projects (around fifteen to remember) at high speed.
The minister again raised the question of the management of the canals, administered by a nebula of voluntary watering associations.
He intends to think about overhauling the existing system to optimize this ease of water management.
Also read: Henri Got, hydrogeologist: “In the Pyrénées-Orientales, the water situation will be worse in 2024 than in 2023”
The minister focused on the measures taken or envisaged by tourism stakeholders who announced their action plans to optimize water consumption in peak season, at precisely the moment when the resource is scarce.
“The campsites have almost all signed a charter of commitments.
We hope to do even more than last year, in particular by reusing gray water and washing water from swimming pool filters, like what is done at Marisol de Torreilles,” indicated Paul Bessole, president departmental of the Outdoor Hotel Federation.
“We offer our customers a virtuous offer with a 10% reduction for those who do not change towels every day in our hotels,” continues Brice Sannac, president of the Union des Métiers des industries de l’Industrie. hotel industry (Umih).
Christophe Béchu has promised a return to Perpignan during the month of April to observe the start of this plan.
And also to definitively seal the fate of the Villeneuve-de-la-Raho golf course project.