We are FCC - Nº6

Every year, Aqualia implements a special plan to meet the needs of those who come to the Virgen del Rocío pilgrimage. During the pilgrimage, the population increases from the 2,500 residents and peaks at 600,000. The water services are provided with the existing infrastructure. The wastewater storage tank that accumulates nearly 40 million litres are treated subsequently to preserve the surroundings of the Coto de Doñana. The Municipal Water Service of the village of El Rocío, managed by Aqualia since 1992, has been radically transformed during the world-famous pilgrimage of the Vir- gin Mary, from serving the 2,500 stable residents in the village, to peak attendance of 600,000 people. The technical difficulty in respon- ding to this temporary reality is that the service must be provided with the same infrastructure as that exis- ting in the village. The hydraulic infrastructures have been prepared to give service to the hundreds of thousands of people who have come to the pilgrimage, and has attended during its cele- bration the facilities of Almonte, as well as Matalascañas, an important coastal town of reference for thou- sands of tourists. In order to make this possible, Aqua- lia carries out every year a meticu- lous tune-up and adaptation of the facilities prior to the arrival of the pilgrims and during the pilgrimage, they take turns to provide 24-hour service, including the customer ser- vice office, in order to respond to any type of incident. In terms of water supply, the num- ber of boreholes is increased; more pumps are put into operation in the tanks; public fountains are installed throughout the village; and a tanker truck that delivers drinking water to the outlying settlement points is brought into operation. The sewerage system is checked and cleaned prior to the arrival of the brotherhoods to avoid clogging. The pumping systems that drive the wastewater to the wastewater treatment plant, which accumulates 40,000 m3 in a storage tank during the pilgrimage, are fine-tuned, as it does not have the capacity to con- tinuously treat the amount of waste generated on these days. Once the pilgrimage is over, the wastewater is treated little by little, thus avoiding any type of spillage to preserve the natural environment of Doñana. At an analytical level, Aqualia ca- rries out exhaustive control to en- sure the quality of the water consu- med by visitors, carrying out more than 50 analyses of drinking and wastewater. During the pilgrimage, 22 workers work 24-hour shifts to provide service and solve incidents without interruption. All this effort and dedication are proof of Aqualia’s local involvement in the territories where it operates and demonstrate its technical capa- city to adapt to different situations and conditions in the provision of the service. C O M M U N I T I E S 33 C O M M U N I T I E S