A fondo: Análisis 2020 | In depth: Analysis of 2020 FuturEnviro | Noviembre/Diciembre November/December 2020 www.futurenviro.es 56 Todas las actividades se han visto afectadas por la crisis de la COVID-19 y los servicios de agua urbana, tal y como corresponde a unos servicios públicos esenciales y vitales, han tenido un comportamiento ejemplar demostrando, una vez más, ser fiables, seguros y una garantía para la sociedad. Ahora, el sector puede ser una pieza clave dentro de la estrategia de salida de esta crisis. Terminábamos el ejercicio 2019 con la presentación en la Sala Ernest Lluch del Congreso de Diputados del estudio “Hacia una financiación más eficiente de las infraestructuras del Ciclo Urbano del Agua” y justo, cuando iniciábamos su explicación en detalle y lo empezábamos a divulgar en los diferentes territorios de nuestra geografía, nos sorprendió en las primeras semanas del 2020, como a todos, una pandemia de efectos desconocidos. Los objetivos del sector variaron y se orientaron a lo inmediato y a lo importante en esa coyuntura; asegurar un suministro básico, el abastecimiento de agua apta para consumo humano, así como un servicio fundamental para la salud, la higiene y el medioambiente; el saneamiento, que incluye la depuración de las residuales. Las primeras acciones fueron encaminadas a asesorar a nuestras autoridades, reclamar que se declararan como servicios ESENCIALES y asegurar su prestación de forma universal y con la máxima resiliencia, mediante la redacción urgente de Planes de Contingencia adaptados a lo que se iba conociendo del SARS-CoV-2. Se priorizaron las tareas de protección del personal experto y cualificado, estableciendo nuevos procedimientos de trabajo, usando los EPIs almacenados en previsión de otras alarmas –que pronto se identificaron como escasos ante la magnitud, explosividad y duración de la primera ola de la pandemia– y aprovisionándonos de otros sin la esperable y posible ayuda de las administraciones públicas, que se encontraban desbordadas en este sentido. Se adaptaron las operaciones para garantizar la continuidad de explotación de las ETAP y las EDAR, infraestructuras esenciales que requieren de All activities have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis and urban water services, in a manner that corresponds to essential public services, have responded in exemplary fashion, demonstrating, once again, the reliability, security and guarantees they provide for society. Now, the sector can play a key role in the strategy to emerge from this crisis. We ended 2019 with the presentation of a study entitled “Towards more efficient financing of UrbanWater Cycle infrastructure” in the Ernest Lluch Hall of the Spanish Parliament. Just as we were beginning to explain the study in greater detail and disseminating it throughout Spain, we, like everybody else, were surprised by the impact of a pandemic of unknown dimensions in the first weeks of 2020. The objectives of the sector changed and were aimed at immediate response to what was of urgency in the scenario of the moment; ensuring the basic supply of water fit for human consumption, and the provision of a service that is vital for health, hygiene and the environment, i.e., sanitation, which includes wastewater treatment. The first actions were aimed at advising our authorities, calling for water services to be declared ESSENTIAL services and ensuring the universal provision of these services with the greatest resilience, through the urgent drafting of Contingency Plans adapted to what was becoming known of SARS-CoV-2. Priority was given to protecting expert, highly-qualified personnel, establishing new working procedures, using PPE that had been in storage for the purpose of addressing other emergencies –which were soon identified as minor compared to the magnitude, explosivity and duration of the first wave of the pandemic– and acquiring more PPE without the possibility of aid from public authorities, who found themselves overwhelmed by the circumstances. Operations were adapted to guarantee the continuity of WWTPs and DWTPs, essential infrastructures that require specific operational work. This was done through the implementation of confined, enhanced or more secure operations, and extreme supervision was exercised over drinking water quality. The challenges associated with teleworking were overcome in order to ensure greater protection for human teams. All the tasks required to guarantee the service to hospitals and centres providing attention to those affected by the virus, to other essential services and to all the citizens under lockdown were organised and executed. The presence of the genetic material of the virus in wastewater was identified early at international level, as was the impossibility of transmission of the virus through this SATISFACCIÓN POR EL DEBER CUMPLIDO. DECEPCIÓN Y ESPERANZA Fernando Morcillo, presidente de la Asociación Española de Abastecimientos de Agua y Saneamiento (AEAS) SATISFACTION OF A DUTY FULFILLED. DISAPPOINTMENT AND HOPE Fernando Morcillo, President of the Spanish Association of Water Supply and Sanitation (AEAS)
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