The sixth edition of the Technical Water Conference, organized by Aigües de Manresa and part of the Fira Ecoviure, took place yesterday at the Palau Firal in Manresa. Titled "Living with Water. New Challenges for Sanitation, Urban Drainage, and City Protection," the event brought together around a hundred professionals and experts to reflect on adapting cities to intense rainfall events, increasingly prominent in the climate change debate.
Recent floods in Catalonia highlighted the need to prepare for intense rainfall. Cities, with extensive impermeable surfaces, struggle to absorb large volumes of water quickly, increasing flood risk and testing sewage network capacity.
The conference began with a presentation by Dr. Anna Ribas, from the Observatori de la Inundabilitat at the University of Girona, who contextualized the challenges posed by extreme weather events and the need to improve urban response to floods.
The first session focused on the joint management of storm drains, sewage systems, treatment plants, and the receiving environment. Jesús Belda, from the Consorci Besòs Tordera, emphasized the importance of planning and managing sanitation systems for intense rainfall. Aigües de Manresa, with Maria Jou and Sílvia Busquets (TRAGIRSA), presented a study on sewage network overflows to reduce the impact of discharges. Enric Bonet from EPSEM introduced the FlashFloods project, focusing on sudden flood studies.
The second session explored solutions for adapting cities. Maria José Chesa of Barcelona Cicle de l’Aigua (BCASA) presented sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS), such as permeable pavements and rain gardens. Pol Huguet, a councilor from the Manresa City Council, showcased urban renaturalization projects. Eduardo Martínez-Gomariz from the FLUMEN research group discussed the role of innovation and new technologies in urban drainage management.
In closing, Antoni Ventura, manager of Aigües de Manresa, stressed that rainwater management is a shared responsibility involving urban planning, mobility, and civil protection. The meeting underscored the need for collaboration between administrations and professionals to adapt infrastructure to climate challenges.
