SPAIN: After enduring over 1,000 days of relentless drought, Catalonia has officially declared a state of emergency, expanding water restrictions to include Barcelona and its adjacent areas. Pere Aragonès, the Catalan president, emphasized the severity of the situation, noting that some regions have not seen rain for three consecutive years, marking it as the most severe drought in modern history.
With water reserves plummeting below 16%, well below the critical threshold, the government has implemented stringent measures. The existing restrictions, such as a 20% reduction in agricultural irrigation and the prohibition of watering public parks, will now be enforced in Barcelona as well.
In response, public and private swimming pools will shutter, except for those within sports facilities, while parks will cease watering to conserve groundwater for the preservation of the city’s 35,000 trees. Moreover, leisure amenities like water parks and ice rinks will close, and car washing will be strictly regulated for commercial purposes only. These measures are set to endure for at least the next 15 months.
Barcelona’s predicament is somewhat alleviated by Europe’s largest desalination plant, furnishing the city with a third of its potable water. However, the process is costly and energy-intensive, exacerbating environmental concerns.
Courtesy: Realtime Global Data Intelligence Platform
