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Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
Officials in Spain's northeast region of Catalonia declared a drought emergency on Thursday, with reservoirs that serve 6 million people, including the population of Barcelona, at under 16 percent of their capacity, a historic low.
The emergency, which takes effect on Friday, limits daily amounts of water allowed for residential and municipal purposes to 200 liters per person. Catalonia's water agency says the average resident uses 116 liters a day at home.
"We are entering a new climate reality," Catalan regional president Pere Aragones said on announcing the emergency. "It is more than likely we will see more droughts that will be both more intense and more frequent."
Joan Torrent fills plastic jugs at a natural spring in Gualba, about 50 kilometers northwest of Barcelona, Spain, January 31, 2024. /CFP
However, small towns and villages across Catalonia's countryside have been in crisis mode for months.
Residents of Gualba, a picturesque village near Barcelona, are experiencing difficulties getting water fit for consumption as their wells are running dry. The village of around 1,500 residents has been without drinking water since December, when the local reservoir fell so low that water became undrinkable and was only good for washing clothes and dishes. Most residents have to drive to another town to buy bottled water.
View of the church of Sant Roma de Sau, which until a few years ago was completely submerged under water, in Barcelona, Spain, January 31, 2024. /cfp
Aerial view of drought in the swamp in Barcelona, Spain, January 31, 2024. /CFP
Experts in water management fear the countryside will continue to suffer the most. The restrictions have slashed water for pigs and other herd animals to 50 percent and for crop irrigation by 80 percent – a big blow to the rural economy.
Spain has seen three years of below-average rainfall amid record high temperatures, and conditions are only expected to get worse because of climate change, which is predicted to heat up the Mediterranean area faster than other regions.
The reservoirs fed by the Ter and Llobregat rivers in northern Catalonia have fallen to 15.8 percent of their capacity, while their 10-year average is 70 percent. Only the Guadalete-Barbate river basin in southern Andalusia, which faces similar shortages and restrictions, is worse off, at 14.6 percent.
(With input from AP)