Catalonia Considers Relocating Homes and Schools in Flood-Prone Areas

The Catalan Government announced a plan on Tuesday to better respond to future episodes of intense rainfall, which are expected to increase due to climate change. This plan includes creating a risk map, which will be ready in the first half of 2025, to identify which activities, infrastructures, homes, or neighborhoods are located in flood-prone areas. Once the Catalan administration has updated this information, it will decide on actions, which could include "relocating" and "moving away" buildings situated in areas at risk of flooding, whether due to streams, ravines, or river surges.

The Catalan Government did not want to advance actions or provide specific figures on how many buildings might be affected by the inclusion in the so-called risk map. However, around 220 schools, 50 elderly homes, and 50 health centers, according to El Periódico, are built on land at risk of flooding. According to the Catalan Government's plan, they should be relocated to a safer area. The same could happen with homes, infrastructures, or economic activities like those on the beachfront, for example.

"The DANA has been a warning of the consequences of climate change. It is inevitable to take measures to ensure people's safety," stated the Catalan Government spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, who confirmed that the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, will appear in Parliament this Wednesday to report on the Catalan Government's actions during the passage of the DANA through Catalonia.

Additionally, within two years, all municipalities in Catalonia must have a municipal civil protection plan. Currently, more than half of Catalan councils lack such protocols, either because they have not drafted one or because it is outdated. Among them are some with a high risk of flooding, such as Badalona, Rubí, Montcada i Reixac, Puigcerdà, or Vilassar de Mar, according to Catalunya Ràdio.