The areas supplied by the basins of the Ter and Llobregat riverssuch as Barcelona and its metropolitan area where the vast majority of the population of Catalonia is concentrated, face one of the greatest droughts in recent decadeswith the application of the exceptional alert.
The forecasts of the Meteorological Service of Catalonia Nor are they encouraging for the coming months, as far as rainfall is concerned, being one of the worst rainfall situations since 1905 and chained 29 months without rainfall.
According to the director of the Catalan Water Agency, Samuel Reyes, The water supply is guaranteed until the summer of 2023but for the last five months of the year there may be blackouts in the city of Barcelona and its entire metropolitan area.
As a result of the latest statements by the director of the ACA, the tourism and hotel sector, one of the most important in Barcelona, which creates nearly 115,000 jobs per year and represents the 14% of the city’s GDPhe is very concerned about the measures that the ACA applies and about how the drought evolves, thinking about how it will affect travelers.
Los 9.7 million tourists Those who visit the Catalan capital every year may be restricted, starting in the summer months, the use of water in hotels, tourist apartments and hostels if reserves continue to dwindle. This would make it impossible to spend the usual water on vacation, limiting showers or the times they use the toilet and could negatively affect the number of reserves, with the consequent negative impact on the local economy.
Aquatic facilities, such as swimming pools or spas, are other facilities that may see their operations limited since, if they have not been filled in recent weeks, they will not be able to open their facilities.
Despite the negative data accumulated for about a year, the Catalan Water Agency has not developed any extraordinary plan to prevent the consequences of the drought among the population and various economic sectors, such as the use and production of more reclaimed water in the Catalan capital and surroundings. It has been decided to increase the obtaining of water through the various desalination plants in the metropolitan area, instead of opting for reclaimed water, as several experts have advised in recent weeks.
Barcelona’s entry into this scenario implies the reduction of water consumption in some of the uses, as is the case in the industrial sector, where the amount of water to be used is reduced by 20%. On the other hand, consumption in recreational uses the percentage decreases by 10% and by 20% in recreational uses that involve irrigation.
These measures arrive late and wrong, according to several experts. This is the opinion of the president of the Spanish Association for the Sustainable Reuse of Water (Asersa) and professor of Environmental Engineering at the School of Civil Engineering, Canals and Ports of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), Rafael Mujeriego, who has criticized that the ACA’s Drought Plan has been misconceived for a decade. Womanizer has criticized that the administration has followed the current regulations, without anticipating that it was already “outdated”.
The last important drought in Catalonia took place between 2007 and 2009, at which time the reserves of the deposits fell to 20%, a figure that is getting closer, since currently the Catalan reservoirs are below 28%. of its capacity. The forecasts of the Catalan meteorological service are not encouraging, since do not expect heavy rains in the coming weeks.
In case of a worsening of this situation, the ACA could declare the emergency phasethe most extreme of all. This scenario foresees an increase in the price of each cubic meter of water consumed in excess, up to 0.60 euros, establishing a maximum supply of 200 liters per inhabitant per day, which can drop to 160 in extreme emergencies.
Agriculture will be the most affected sector with this scenario, since agricultural irrigation will be suppressed and only woody crops will be authorized to maintain their survival. Industrial users would see a 25% reduction in water consumption.
