The Environmental officials of the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council are collaborating with the technicians of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria and Canaragua, specialized in the management of the integral water cycle of the south of Gran Canaria, to promote the execution of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) in Maspalomas, San Bartolomé de Tirajana. This is part of the Natalie project funded by the European Commission's Horizon and proposes the application of natural solutions to participate in its resolution.
The Aquatec Climate Change and Resilience Unit of the Agbar Group leads the work plan on resilience assessment methodologies, models and tools, to improve climate resilience in different locations of the archipelago. The head of Aquatec, Jesús Soler, explains that "we seek to resolve the pollution of the stormwater network towards the Maspalomas Charca with the implementation of solutions based on nature, so that we try to ensure that this water arrives with the best possible quality. generating a series of co-benefits, both for biodiversity and for the well-being and health of people."
The University of La Laguna, Aquatec, the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, CSIC, Canaragua and the University of the Balearic Islands are participating in this plan. This team will be in charge, over the next 5 years, of designing and testing the different responses to retain runoff water and the associated pollution load.
The Environment Minister of the Cabildo de Gran Canara, Raúl García Brink, has highlighted the value of this project for the south of Gran Canaria, "which will allow not only to develop sustainable urban drainage solutions, but also to create green employment and innovative solutions. that allow us to be at the forefront of these types of issues worldwide. He emphasizes "the level of involvement from the Gran Canaria Council against global warming is very high, because the future of future and current generations depends on it."
The Natalie plan brings together 42 partners, eight demonstration sites and five replication sites, and will last five years, until August 2028. It is a scientific initiative that has participated in the European Horizon research program, the most prestigious in its category, and has achieved financing of 100% of its budget, a total of 15 million euros.
