48 aid grants awarded across Catalonia

The Agència Catalana de l'Aigua (ACA) has approved 48 emergency aid grants totalling over €635,000 to ensure water supply in municipalities across Catalonia. The funding supports local entities with costs related to water transport by tanker trucks, emergency infrastructure works, and repairs to water intakes damaged by flooding. Aid was granted for expenses incurred between 1 January 2025 and 28 February 2026. Of the 48 grants, 10 benefit municipalities in the province of Girona, 19 in Tarragona, 11 in Lleida, and 7 in Barcelona.

Up to 95% cost covered for essential works

Each grant can cover up to 95% of eligible costs, depending on the size of the local population, with a maximum of €100,000 per application. Of the 48 grants, 29 cover water transport via tanker trucks, 15 fund emergency works, and the remaining three include both measures. Additional supported actions include setting up connections between raw water tankers and treatment plants, renting or purchasing water purification equipment, drilling exploration wells, and acquiring generators, batteries, or solar panels to maintain water supply services.

Ongoing support since 2022

Between 2022 and 2026, the ACA has approved nine rounds of such emergency aid, allocating more than €10.7 million across 470 grants. The agency has also recently opened a new call for applications to fund ongoing water transport and emergency repairs.

These measures are critical to maintaining public health and basic services in affected communities during periods of supply stress.

Residents in some areas, including Sils, have been seen queuing to fill containers from water tankers as local supplies remain under pressure.

Primary sources: Agència Catalana de l'Aigua, Agència Catalana de l'Aigua. Generalitat de Catalunya, aca.gencat.cat. Reported by diaridegirona.cat, L'Empordà, Regió 7, 20minutos, Eenda Works, retema.es, Redacció, Ángel Pérez, Tres Tristes Tigres, europapress.es, CatalunyaPress.es, lavanguardia.com, Agencia Catalana del Agua, Diari de Girona.