Spain is in the grip of a drought of the century

According to the report of the international group Tasnim news agency, citing “SRF” of Switzerland, in Parts of Spain are not only extremely hot, but very dry. The area around Barcelona in Catalonia is particularly affected by these conditions. There are hardly any reserves left in the water reservoirs.

Julia Macher, a freelance journalist, says about the drought situation in these areas: In terms of the duration, severity and extent of the affected area, we can really talk about the drought of the century. . This situation affects about six million people, 200 municipalities, including Barcelona. For the first time, water consumption is limited to 200 liters per resident per day. Here in Barcelona the consumption is 173 liters. But in other places, for example, they cut off the water at night.

He stressed: In Costa Brava, where there are many second homes and holiday homes with swimming pools, some large consumers limit have connected them to the water transmission lines.

He further considered this emergency situation to be predictable and said:
This is the final stage of the drought plan of the regional government, which will be implemented from September 2021. It is being implemented.

He further said: Of course, these conditions are related to climate change. The climate has changed and there is less rainfall. But there are also structural reasons. Some water pipes are leaking. There are outdated sewage systems, especially in small towns.

According to this Spanish expert, environmental organizations such as Greenpeace or the platform “Aigua es vida” criticize the fact that the Spanish economy relies on two sectors. which need a lot of water and that is the agriculture and tourism sector.

He emphasized: Spain is not properly prepared to deal with these conditions. And I think that Spanish agriculture is now at a crossroads. We must keep in mind that 80% of agricultural land in Spain is artificially irrigated. I talked to the hoteliers a few days ago. Their biggest concern is not the lack of water itself, but the damage it can do to Spain’s image. Julia Macer also said: This is an issue that has increasingly occupied politics. . Last year, the government revised the water management plan. It is expected that 6.6 billion euros will flow into infrastructure repairs in the next few years.

He added: In this situation, wastewater treatment must be improved and its use made more efficient.

This Spanish expert Emphasizing that important decisions have been made to reduce consumption, at the same time he said: These are important decisions, but of course they are not a panacea for these conflicts and crises that will continue in the future.

Since that Spain’s Catalonia has faced a historic severe water shortage, the authorities of this region recently declared a state of emergency and imposed severe restrictions on water consumption for citizens.

It has been more than three years since the rain in Catalonia, Spain It has been low. Related restrictions have been in place since February 2 in Barcelona, ​​the regional capital of Catalonia, and 201 other municipalities. Six million people out of the total population of about eight million in the region are affected by these conditions. More than 30 municipalities had declared a state of emergency before the government’s order, while a so-called preliminary state of emergency was imposed in others. The time the records began spoke about a century ago. For about 40 months, Catalonia has had little rain and has been very dry. At the start of this year, temperatures in some parts of Spain reached almost 30C – temperatures that are usually recorded from June onwards.

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