Following the flood disaster in the Spanish region of Catalonia, the city of Manresa and its water service Aigues Manresa establish a new ‘Water Observatory’ as an innovative instrument aimed at improving transparency and citizen participation in the management of the integral water cycle.
Objectives of the Observatory
- The Water Observatory will promote participatory governance, environmental protection and innovation, with a particular focus on climate resilience and sustainable development. The Observatory’s plenary, its highest body, will be composed of representatives of the business community, experts in different fields, public administrations and social organisations, ensuring a broad and inclusive dialogue.
- Through thematic working groups, the Observatory will address issues such as technological innovation, climate change, environmental protection and responding to people’s needs. Participatory processes will also be activated to ensure that citizens can intervene on relevant issues.
- The initiative is supported by the project ‘Sustainability in the water cycle: digitalisation and transformation of the territory’, funded by the European NextGenerationEU programme, and is part of the Spanish government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
The next steps include the convening of the first plenary, the public presentation of the Observatory and the creation of a website to disseminate the activities and facilitate citizen participation.