Gestión y tratamiento de agua | Water management and treatment FuturEnviro | Abril/Mayo April/May 2020 www.futurenviro.es 52 Normalidad Si hubiera que hacer un resumen muy sintético, podríamos decir que la sensación que percibe la ciudadanía respecto del agua urbana es de perfecta normalidad. Una vez más, se confirma que nuestro sector ha conseguido garantizar la prestación de estos servicios, vitales y básicos, con solvencia y capacidad de resiliencia. Y eso a pesar del desconocimiento de la pandemia, su virulencia y agresividad. ¿Nos podríamos imaginar cuál hubiera sido la situación en el caso de haber tenido incidencias de calidad o discontinuidad del servicio? ¿Nos podemos imaginar la caótica situación en la situación de un confinamiento domiciliario tan largo? ¿Qué hubiera sido del medio ambiente acuático si se hubieran producido fallos en la depuración de las aguas residuales? Planes de Contingencia Operativos Los operadores del sector, mayoritariamente profesionalizados y muy capacitados, están acostumbrados a gestionar riesgos y lo demuestran cada día en las múltiples tareas de un servicio de abastecimiento y/o saneamiento de agua urbana. Pero se pone de relieve de forma sobresaliente en situaciones como esta y en otras emergencias de carácter climático por las que ya hemos pasado. Acostumbrados a la planificación, podemos concluir que el sector ha manejado esta crisis con seguridad, anticipación y solvencia en las estructuras organizativas; en la formación de empleados y cuadros directivos; en la actividad polifacética y multidisciplinar que nos caracteriza; en las redes de cooperación y participación sectorial y asociativa; en la anticipación de medidas y acciones preventivas; en el procedimiento adaptativo; en definitiva, en la gestión del riesgo. Lamentablemente, nuestro sector no es muy conocido y no es tenido en consideración, ni siquiera por las autoridades que tienen Normality If a very concise summary were required, we could say that citizen perception of the urban water scenario remains perfectly normal. Once again, our sector has proved capable of guaranteeing the provision of these basic, vital services efficiently and robustly, despite the lack of knowledge of the pandemic, its virulence and aggressivity. Can we imagine what the situation might have been if there had been incidents regarding water quality or interruption of the service? Can we imagine the resulting chaos in a scenario of domestic lockdown over such a long period?What would have been the fate of the aquatic environment if failures in wastewater treatment had occurred? Contingency Operating Plans Operators in the sector, the majority of whom are highly qualified professionals, are accustomed to managing risks. They demonstrate this on a daily basis in the multiple tasks associated with urban water supply and/or sanitation services. But this capacity to manage risk comes to the fore in situations such as the current one and other emergencies associated with climate that we have overcome in the past. Accustomed to planning as it is, we can conclude that the sector has managed this crisis with security, foresight and efficiency in terms of: organisational structures; staff and management training; the very varied and multidisciplinary activities that characterise the sector; sectoral cooperation, participation and association networks; prior planning of preventive measures and actions; adaptive procedures; and ultimately, risk management. Lamentably, our sector does not have a high profile and little attention is paid to it, even by the authorities with responsibilities for urban water at state level. Despite our warnings, communications and complaints, this situation has not changed in the least.We only become “visible”when incidents occur. This is demonstrated by the wording of the first Decree on the Declaration of the State of Alarm, in which water was completely forgotten. Perhaps because the responsibility for our services is local? This circumstance obliged and drove us to send an official letter to the government, reminding them of the fact that our services are essential and, in some cases, critical (by law). In this letter, we outlined some clear recommendations for the defence and protection of the urban water value chain (reagents, spare parts, specialised maintenance, external control laboratories, sludge and waste removal, etc.). Fortunately, our letter was taken into account and we must acknowledge that the Secretary of LOS SERVICIOS URBANOS DEL AGUA EN LA CRISIS DEL CORONAVIRUS Casi finalizada la primera etapa de la crisis mundial provocada por el virus SARS-CoV-2, origen de la enfermedad denominada COVID-19, y su afección a nuestra sociedad, es oportuno hacer un balance de alcance coyuntural en el sector del agua urbana. URBANWATER SERVICES IN THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS Now that we are almost at the end of the first stage of the global crisis arising from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, origin of the disease known as COVID-19, which has greatly affected our society, it is an opportune time to assess the extent of its effect on the urban water sector.
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