National Drought Board

Introduction

On 28 April, the Government of the Catalonia established a National Drought Board. This body will be operative until the drought situation we are currently experiencing ends and will be made up of government representatives, parliamentary groups, and the most representative social, territorial, academic and environmental agents.

The composition of the board must therefore be extensive, flexible and it must be a forum where all entities can express their opinions and where their proposals will be taken into account.

Objectives

The principal objective of this board centres on achieving maximum information on the consequences of approved or foreseen actions and at the same time becoming aware of and heeding perceptions of these actions across the territory and the main sectors.

Therefore, this board will monitor proposals for exceptional actions to confront the drought and their viability, execution and effectiveness.

Among the measures there is the requirement that the approved actions do not include a permanent transfer of water between basins and at the same time measures are to be adopted which respect the ecological flows of the rivers and do not produce adverse impacts on the land.

Barcelona, 28 April 2008