Northeastern Spain on the verge of 'drought emergency', Catalonia limits water use

Northeastern Spain is currently experiencing one of its worst droughts in decades, withBarcelonafacing a severewater crisis.The 7.7 million people who live in Catalonia, which is in the northeast of Spain, are dealing withthe repercussions of a 32-month drought. Barcelona, where reservoirs are currently empty, is severely affected by the lack of rain.

Authorities issued a warning on Tuesday, stating that unless rain predictions improve, the area will experience a "drought emergency" in September. The usage of water would be subject to considerably stricter limitations.

"At this point, it's the worst problem we're facing," said Catalan leader Pere Aragones, lamenting one of "the worst droughts in 50 years", reported Euro news.

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The Ter-Llobregat river system provides water to Barcelona, Girona, and other nearby towns and villages. According to the government of Spain, Catalonia's reservoirs and others have lost 27% of their original capacity.

The Guadalquivir river basin in southern Andalusia, whose reservoirs are only 26 per centfull, is the only area in Spain that is worse.

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In recent weeks, water from Catalonia's Sau reservoir was transferred to another neighbouring reservoir in order to maintain water quality. As the levels decline, thousands of invasive fish have been killed to safeguard native species.

It precedes a summer when water levels were so low that the ruins of an 11th-century church were exposed from below the surface.

Due to current laws, each resident in Catalonia's cities is only permitted to use 230 litres of water each day. Both individual use and shared amenities like drinking fountains or street sweeping are included. That allocation would be reduced to 200 litres under "emergency" plans.

An average person uses about 116 litres of water each day for only domestic purposes. The regional administration is currently attempting to impose fines on municipalities for excessive water use.

For some of the towns and villages of Catalonia, the situation is already grave. Water has been restricted in L'Espluga de Francoli, 100 kilometres west of Barcelona, for several months.

Every night from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., the 3,600 inhabitants' household water supplies are shut off. A tanker truck delivers water three times every week to replenish its supplies.

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"Climate change.. has taken hold very quickly over the past two or three years," Xavier Rosell, who is responsible for environmental issues and municipal services in the area, told AFP.

Similar severe water shortages occurred in the area between 2003 and 2008, but droughts are now happening more frequently and for longer periods of time.

“We're facing a difficult moment in terms of both water resources and rainfall," Spain’s Agriculture Minister Luis Planas said after the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

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