The Provincial Council of Castellón has held the third and final session of the 1st Training Cycle for Water Leaders, an initiative promoted in collaboration with Facsa that has served as a space for analysis, updating and strategic reflection for mayors, councilors and technical staff of the 135 municipalities of the province in matters of integrated water cycle management.
Under the title ‘'Main challenges facing the province of Castellón in terms of water'’, This final day has focused on the structural and situational challenges that will shape the future of water management in the territory, thus concluding a training program that, over the past few months, has progressively addressed the past, present and future of urban water in the province.
The provincial deputy for the Integrated Water Cycle, Iván Sánchez, who opened the session, emphasized the importance of providing specialized training to public officials and professionals with water-related responsibilities to promote “a profound and structured transformation of the water management model in the province.” “Efficient and responsible water management is a crucial challenge for the province, hence the importance of involving professionals from the province's municipalities who are responsible for managing these systems,” the provincial deputy stressed.
Deputy Iván Sánchez emphasized that “from day one we said this would be the legislature focused on water, and we are delivering on that promise. This first training cycle represents a decisive step for municipal officials to acquire practical and strategic knowledge, enabling them to improve water resource management in their municipalities.”.
The day has allowed for a joint discussion of some of the main factors that will shape water management in Castellón in the coming years: adaptation to climate change, modernization of infrastructure, economic sustainability of the service, digitalization and strengthening of institutional cooperation.
Within this framework, the head of the Provincial Council's technical department, Emilio Monfort, presented the foundations for defining a provincial roadmap focused on sustainability. Meanwhile, Enrique Cabrera, Professor of Fluid Mechanics at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, offered a strategic vision for the future of urban water, emphasizing the need to move towards models based on efficiency, digitalization, appropriate cost recovery, and proactive planning in the face of increasing climate uncertainty.
The analysis of the provincial reality has been provided by Ana Fito, head of the water supply area of the Provincial Council, and Siro Cabedo, head of the drainage and purification area, who have presented the current situation of the supply and sanitation infrastructures, identifying strengths, modernization needs and opportunities for improvement to reinforce the resilience of the system.
The subsequent debate reinforced the participatory nature of the cycle, giving a voice to mayors, councilors, and technical staff, and demonstrating that water governance requires shared responsibility and cooperation. The conclusions and proposals gathered in this first cycle will be compiled into a summary document that will serve as a strategic framework for moving towards a more efficient, resilient, and sustainable management model throughout the province.
The launch of this training cycle, aimed at municipal officials throughout the province, is evidence of the priority role that the Castellón Provincial Council gives to water within its government action and reinforces its leadership in the comprehensive management of the resource, with a model based on anticipation, co-responsibility and the defense of the province's interests in a context of increasing climatic and regulatory demands.
The collaboration with Facsa in this process also underlines the desire to transform technical knowledge into strategic decisions that strengthen Castellón's water resilience in the medium and long term.
