The Benavente City Council and the company awarded the city's water service, Aquona Gestión de Aguas de Castilla S.A.U, sign the renewal of the collaboration agreement between the two institutions that took place in the Plenary Hall of the Plaza Mayor de Benavente. The mayor of Benavente, Mr. Luciano Huerga, the Councilor for Social Welfare, Mr. Antonio Vega, and the Director of Concessions for Aquona in Castilla y León Oeste, Mr. Nicolás Esmorís, participated in the renewal signature.
This agreement has been renewed since 2015 when both institutions created this social fund for the payment of water bills by families in situations of vulnerability or social exclusion. An amount that in 2021 has been established at 17,000 euros, an increase compared to the last agreement and whose effort the Benavente City Council wants to thank within this social, environmental and educational collaboration.
A very close relationship between Aquona and the Benavente City Council that was reflected in 2020 when Benavente became a pioneer city in controlling the presence of COVID-19 in the city's wastewater with the Aquona CITY SENTINEL program, a program to which municipalities and institutions were added later.
Another of the novelties that Mr. Luciano Huerga has advanced during the act of signing the agreement is the action that will take place in the near future on the Camino de Miraflores where the company has accepted the offer of the Benavente City Council to rehabilitate and thus recover a new semi-urban green area with the plantation of trees. An action of an environmental nature that is within the plans of both institutions in order to meet the 2020-2030 sustainability objectives.
Mr. Luciano Huerga has recognized the efforts of the Aquona company and the willingness to improve the quality of life of the citizens of Benavente: “On behalf of the Benavente City Council, I want to thank the real commitment that Aquona has with our city in improving our quality of life and also what they had and continue to have in the protection of our health ”.
For his part, Mr. Nicolás Esmorís has assured that the intention of Aquona is not to offer only a water service but to integrate a service in the city that improves the quality of life of people while recognizing the example of the City Council's management : “The way you have to manage the agreement is magnificent, we have more funds in other municipalities, but this serves as an example. I wish Benavente had more because it would invest more in its citizens, which is something that is difficult for us to find elsewhere. Therefore, my thanks and I am sure that this collaboration will continue for several years due to the needs that unfortunately continue to exist and even more so in this very complicated year ”.
This public-private collaboration between the Benavente City Council and Aquona has been shown to be an effective and satisfactory joint work strategy that not only ensures access for all families to a basic service such as water, but also develops other services. educational and preventive measures, such as the Aquology school, aimed at raising awareness and generating healthy consumption habits.