The ordinary plenary session in April has initially approved the Climate Change Adaptation Plan for Calpe. This is a document drawn up by Global Omnium that aims to prepare the municipality for possible scenarios that may arise in the near future resulting from climate change.
The plan identifies nine types of risks - drought and scarcity of water resources, heat islands and extreme temperatures, torrential rains and floods, rising sea levels, energy dependence, economic stagnation, degradation of the natural environment, loss of marine biodiversity and loss of terrestrial biodiversity - and carries out an analysis of each of them and their situation and possible evolution for three scenarios: 2023, 2037 and 2050. Based on this, the plan proposes 29 measures for adaptation and mitigation of the effects of climate change, as well as 100 actions.
The document classifies as the highest risks in the current scenario (2023) the scarcity of water resources, followed by torrential rains/floods, although it is specified that they are at a manageable level. They are followed by extreme temperatures and rising sea levels, as well as economic stagnation, energy dependence and loss of marine biodiversity.
Juan Manuel del Pino, councillor for Territorial Affairs and as of yesterday a non-attached councillor, stressed that this is an action plan, "a starting point for tomorrow to be able to draw up projects according to needs", which, he said, could be eligible for funding from other administrations.
The spokesman for Defendamos Calpe, Paco Quiles, said that "this plan is all very well, very nice, but if you remain at the head of this council it is a dead letter". "The PP has sponsored a city model in which it has exerted urban pressure precisely on the seafront and is building in the salt marshes, in flood zones.
Compromís spokesman Ximo Perles stressed that this plan "on a technical level is a fantastic plan but the chances of it being implemented if the current government is maintained are implausible". "The vast majority of plans have been approved for a long time but are not implemented, and this is the big problem with these plans," he said.
In the same vein, the socialist spokesman Santos Pastor described this proposal as "green washing", "a way of trying to put a friendly face on sustainability and the environment in theory but, in practice, it shows the opposite" and added that the urban development of Calp "is quite the opposite, it collides with a plan like this".
The spokesperson for the PP municipal group, Noelia Císcar, pointed out that: "the plans must be prepared and updated; obviously there are plans that unfortunately have not been carried out, but if we don't have them done and updated, they cannot be carried out at some point".
The point was approved with the votes in favour of all the municipal groups except for Defendamos Calpe, which abstained.
Sanitation Master Plan
Similarly, the Drainage and Pluvial Master Plan, carried out by Aguas de Calpe, was also initially approved. The Plan is an update of the one drafted in 2015, which already highlighted the need to connect to the municipal sewerage network more than 5,600 homes (21% of the total), located mainly in the various urbanizations of Calp, which do not have such a connection and discharge into septic tanks.
The aim of the plan is to improve sewage and rainwater networks, control the overflowing of collectors, connect to existing structural networks, and build the structural networks that do not exist.
Defendamos Calpe abstained from voting and the rest of the parties supported the plan, although the opposition groups questioned whether the plan, with an estimated total investment of 111 million euros, will be implemented. Water cycle councillor Juan Manuel del Pino acknowledged that the 2015 plan was not processed, although it is a matter that has to be addressed to allow the connection to the sewerage network of the many homes that do not currently have it, and estimated that the cost to be paid for the connection to the collector will be between 6,000 and 8,000 euros.
The mayoress Ana Sala pointed out that: "the work has been done and now we have to follow up on it, this is a long-term plan and there is a document that enables us to start with the investments".
VPO (Social Housing)
The topic on the initiation of the process to carry out the modification D-17 of the PGOU to promote subsidised housing in Calpe did not go ahead with only the votes in favour of the mayoress Ana Sala, the councillor of Territory, Juan Manuel del Pino, the councillor of Citizens Rebeca Merchán and Defend Calpe. The PP abstained and Psoe and Compromís voted against.
Façades rehabilitation
The plenary also unanimously approved unanimously to amend the rules for granting subsidies for the rehabilitation of building facades to simplify its content.
Local Police Station
Another topic which was unanimously approved by the plenary was to name the Local Police building Juan Manuel Policarpo Moll, in memory and in recognition of the police officer who died on 18 September last in the line of duty while trying to rescue a man trapped in his car by water.