Heat and drought in Spain – holiday region struggles with water shortage

A persistent drought is causing problems for Spain. An additional increase in water consumption and illegal wells are now taking their toll.

Barcelona – The year 2024 begins with record weather for Spain. While it is a pleasant 18 degrees in Madrid and Barcelona, ​​real summer weather has broken out in southern regions such as Andalusia. With temperatures of up to 26 degrees, it is exceptionally hot at this time of year, even in the south of Spain.

Because of heat and drought – the holiday region of Catalonia is declaring a water emergency

How serious the situation actually is due to the constant heat waves of the last three years can now be seen in the government's latest decisions: Due to water shortages, a state of emergency has now been declared in the Catalonia region. In addition to Barcelona, ​​201 large communities in northeastern Spain are also affected.

The measure will come into force on Friday (February 2), as the regional government announced on Thursday. There will be new strict restrictions on consumption affecting around six million people (out of a total of around eight million residents of Catalonia) in the provinces of Barcelona and Girona. A state of emergency has been in effect for several months in three dozen municipalities in the province of Tarragona. In other areas there has been a so-called preliminary state of emergency.

Catalonia is suffering from the worst drought since records began a century ago, said regional president Pere Aragonès. In the holiday region, which is also very popular with Germans, water consumption is now limited to a maximum of 200 liters per person per day. If the situation worsens, the limit can be reduced to 180 liters in a second phase and to 160 liters in a third phase. For comparison: In the regional capital Barcelona, ​​consumption is currently on average 173 liters, but in other larger communities it is sometimes well over 200 liters. Previously, during the pre-emergency period, there was a limit of 230 liters per person per day.

First phase of emergency plan comes into force – farmers in Spain hit particularly hard

Until further notice, cars are not allowed to be washed, nor are sidewalks or streets allowed to be cleaned with water. Filling most swimming pools is also prohibited. Public and private gardens and parks may only be irrigated under certain circumstances and then only with recycled water. The measures hit farmers particularly hard: they have to reduce their consumption by 80 percent. The livestock industry has to save 50 percent and industry 25 percent. Penalties of up to 150,000 euros are envisaged for violations.

“Proportion of available water has fallen by 12 percent” – that’s why water is becoming scarce in Spain

The lack of rain that has been ongoing for over three years, or more precisely for 40 months, has caused the water levels in the reservoirs to drop massively. On average, the reservoirs are only about 16 percent full. Some are even practically empty. About a year and a half ago the average was just under 60 percent. In addition to Catalonia, Andalusia in Spain is also affected by a serious water shortage. The specialist portal for agriculture sees this as the main cause Agrarheute Magazineas well as poor water management and illegal wells.

Officially, a significant proportion of water is used for industry and agriculture from rivers and reservoirs. It is estimated that there are around 500,000 illegal wells. The water is simply no longer there to the extent that it is needed: “Since 1980, the proportion of available water has fallen by 12 percent. And it could be between 14 and 40 percent less by 2050.” (mh/dpa)