With a plastic pitcher in hand, Joan Trent heads into the woods in search of drinking water. He fills them with a natural spring and transports them to his home in Gualba, a pretty village near Barcelona that, like many towns in Spain, is experiencing the worst drought on record.
For Trent, it’s a bit of an inconvenience to carry a two-gallon jug of water and walk for water several times a week, but it’s becoming more common as Spain and other parts of the Mediterranean adapt to climate change. It might become.
“There used to be a lot of springs in Gualva. Now I think this is the only one left,” said Mr. Trent, a retiree, as he made his way to the fountain leading to the spring. “I don’t think we realize what’s going to happen to all of us. People don’t want to hear about water scarcity.”
On February 1, authorities in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia declared a state of drought emergency after reservoirs used by 6 million people, including the population of Barcelona, reached a historic low of less than 16% of their water storage capacity.
The state of emergency, which takes effect on February 2, limits the amount of water allowed for residential and municipal purposes to 200 liters (53 gallons) per person per day. According to Catalonia’s water agency, the average resident uses 116 liters (30 gallons) a day at home.
“We are entering a new climate reality,” Pere Aragonés, head of Catalonia’s region, said in announcing the state of emergency. “More droughts with greater intensity and frequency are very likely to occur.”
But Gualba and other small towns and villages in the Catalan countryside have been in a state of crisis for months. So while Barcelona residents have yet to feel the effects of the drought beyond having their private pools filled with water or being unable to wash their cars, thousands of people living in small communities who rely on wells that are now dry Many people face difficulties in obtaining water suitable for consumption.
According to local legend, the name Gualba means “white water” and refers to the stream that flows down from the Montseny mountain that overlooks the village. The village of about 1,500 residents has been without potable water since December, when the water level in the local reservoir dropped so low that it became undrinkable and could only be used to wash clothes and dishes.
Most residents have to drive to another town to buy bottled water.
“We have always had an abundance of water,” said Jordi Esmaindia, deputy mayor of Gualva. “No one ever imagined we would end up like this.”
Spain has experienced below-average rainfall for the past three years amid record high temperatures, and the situation is expected to worsen due to climate change, with the Mediterranean region predicted to warm faster than other regions. ing.
Reservoirs fed by the Tell and Llobregat rivers in northern Catalonia have declined to 15.8% of their capacity, compared to a 10-year average of 70%. Only the Guadalete-Barbaté river basin in southern Andalusia, which faces similar deficiencies and restrictions, is worse off at 14.6%.
Barcelona has avoided water shortages thanks to enhanced expensive desalination and water purification systems, which now account for 55% of Catalonia’s total water use. Still, local authorities in Barcelona and Seville, the capital of southern Andalusia, are both considering transporting drinking water.
Catalan authorities in Barcelona are threatening to fine municipalities if residents, farmers and businesses do not comply with water restrictions. They are also calling for water rates to be increased to pay for the modernization of water pipes.
“Some municipalities are losing 70 to 80 percent of their water due to leaks,” Catalan government official Laura Vilagra told Spanish state radio RNE. “That’s not sustainable.”
Water management experts fear that rural areas will continue to be hit hardest. The restrictions have resulted in a 50% reduction in water for pigs and other livestock, and an 80% reduction in water for irrigation of crops, a major blow to the rural economy.
“It is telling that this drought is making headlines simply because it is affecting Barcelona, even though villages in the Pyrenees are enduring water shortages and having to have water trucked in for months. ” said Dante Maschio, a spokesman for the Catalan newspaper. The non-profit Aigua és vida, or Water Is Life organization.
“If droughts are not properly managed, they can lead to further inequalities and tensions between urban and rural areas,” Maschio said.
Many towns spend a lot of money having their water delivered by tanker trucks. Of the total $206 million (191 million euros) earmarked for drought relief, the Catalan government is sharing $4.3 million (4 million euros) among 213 municipalities to help with water transport costs.
Still, some towns, like Espulga de Francoli, have had to shut off their water supply. The town is shutting off water service from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m. every day to allow wells to recover overnight.
Eva Martínez is the mayor of Valirana, a town of 15,000 people just over 30 minutes west of Barcelona. In recent months, there have been times in her municipality where water has had to be brought in by trucks, with residents parking in their neighborhoods to fill bottles and buckets.
“We understand that citizens are frustrated when there is a water issue and we are not able to provide the quantity and quality of water that we need,” Martinez said. “I see that it’s not raining. The situation is hopeless.”
This story was reported by the Associated Press. Associated Press writer Renata Brito contributed to this report.