El Torno municipal pool inaugurated as climate refuge in Castilla‑La Mancha

The regional government of Castilla‑La Mancha inaugurated a new municipal swimming pool in the village of El Torno, a hamlet of Porzuna in Ciudad Real, on Monday. The ceremony was led by the community’s second vice‑president, José Manuel Caballero, who was accompanied by the mayor of Porzuna, Ángel Gómez.

Caballero presented the pool as a basic public service that serves both as a climate‑refuge during increasingly hot summers and as a social hub for residents. He linked the project to the region’s broader strategy to combat depopulation by guaranteeing equal access to amenities such as health, education, transport and leisure, allowing people to build a full life in small municipalities.

The regional budget for 2026 earmarks €5.8 million per day – about one‑quarter of the total spending ceiling and 3.4 % of the region’s GDP – for measures aimed at reversing depopulation, a policy first codified in a 2021 law that emphasizes “radical equality” for all citizens regardless of where they live.