The authorities are delaying the triggering of the emergency threshold as long as possible, but it seems more and more inevitable. The Spanish region of Catalonia is affected by a historic drought which continues to worsen due to a lack of sufficient rain this fall, local authorities warned on Tuesday.
“The period is very critical,” David Mascort, head of climate action in this region of northeastern Spain, told the press. The current drought “is the worst in duration and intensity” since local statistics began around a hundred years ago, he insisted.
The tanks are emptying
Precipitation is at its lowest for 36 months in this territory where nearly 8 million people live and whose capital is Barcelona, the second largest city in Spain. The level of reservoirs, storing rainwater for use in the drier months, has fallen further and is now at almost 19% of capacity, compared to an average of 43.7% overall. of Spain, according to official statistics.
Local authorities have called on the population to save water, in order to delay the triggering of the “emergency” drought threshold which would lead to “significant restrictions” in terms of water distribution, particularly in the Barcelona metropolitan area, underlined David Mascort.
New measures
In the meantime, new measures will come into force, such as reducing the maximum water distribution from 230 to 210 liters per day and per inhabitant. A decision which remains symbolic, the average water consumption in Spain being around 130 liters per day per person. Watering gardens and filling swimming pools have already been prohibited for several months in Catalonia, where the use of water for industrial or agricultural purposes is also limited.
“The most important thing is that we all realize the urgency of the situation in which we find ourselves,” said David Mascort. Despite restrictions already in place and calls to save water, local authorities believe the emergency threshold could be triggered soon.
In this context, the regional government is going so far as to consider bringing water to Barcelona by boat if this proves necessary. A country on the front line of global warming, Spain has been experiencing an exceptional period of drought since 2021, particularly marked in Catalonia and the south of the country. Nationally, the country recorded a rainfall deficit of 12% during the hydrological year ending at the end of September, according to the meteorological agency.