The Valencian Region and Saxony-Anhalt will collaborate in the field of water management

The Head of the Valencian regional directorate for water affairs, José María Benlliure, and the Director General of the Agua y Progreso (Water and Progress) foundation, José Alberto Comos, met on Wednesday 28th July with the minister for Agriculture and Environment of the German region Saxony-Anhalt, as well as with the Mayor of the German city of Halle, in order to sign a joint agreement.

This agreement will allow mutual collaboration and the exchange of experiences and good practices in the field of water management, particularly in aspects such as water supply, irrigation, flood prevention and wastewater treatment.

Mr. Benlliure said that the agreement is very positive for the interests of the Valencian Region, because the regional authorities of Saxony-Anhalt "are very experienced in managing water transfers and ensuring an adequate supply of drinking water to all the households in the region".

He also stated: "Considering the acute water scarcity which affects the Valencian Region, and despite the efforts deployed to treat and reuse wastewater as well as to modernise irrigation systems, the Valencian Region needs a water transfer from those basins with a larger amount of water than needed, like the one that has been built between the Tajo and Segura rivers or the plan to transfer the water surplus of the Ebro river".

Mr. Benlliure asserted that, through this agreement, both regions would learn experiences from each other. "This way, the Valencian Region will have the opportunity to benefit from German knowledge in water transfers and supply, and the Germans will learn from the Valencian know-how in the field of water treatment".

Joint participation in European projects
The agreement between the Valencian Region and Saxony-Anhalt also includes several measures designed to foster joint participation in European projects for interregional cooperation as well as the exchange of ideas and information about water supply and water transfer strategy.

The document also foresees the beginning of several joint projects in the fields of water management, climate change and renewable energies.