Canet d'en Berenguer expands climate shelters as heat wave hits
With extreme heat warnings active across Camp de Morvedre, Canet d'en Berenguer has expanded its network of free public spaces where residents can cool down.
With temperatures nearing 40°C, the town council of Canet d'en Berenguer, a coastal municipality near Sagunto, has expanded its network of climate shelters this summer. These are free, accessible public spaces designed to protect residents from extreme heat, a concept already used in other Spanish cities such as Barcelona and Valladolid. This year's new addition is a covered sports court at the Sanchis Guarner sports centre, allowing people to exercise out of direct sun, although the town is still withholding part of the builder's deposit over unresolved construction defects. In the historic centre, the Casa de los Llano building offers a library and air-conditioned rooms from 9am to 9pm; on Thursday it opens a group art exhibition, "Al sol de juliol" ("Under the July sun"), featuring around twenty local artists, running until 31 July. Near the beach, the Biblioplaya library operates in the mornings and the Ágora hall in the afternoons, with games and dance activities. Several shaded, tree-filled squares with drinking fountains round out the network. Mayor Pere Antoni said extreme heat waves "are here to stay". According to El Periódico de Aquí.