Drought in Catalonia has been a constant concern in recent years, but recently there has been an improvement in water levels in the region’s reservoirs.
Although this improvement is encouraging, the authorities warn that it is still insufficient to completely reverse the situation and guarantee a normal water supply.
Compared to the worst time of the drought, when reservoirs in the internal basins dropped to 25% of their capacity, they are currently above 30% and are expected to continue to increase in the coming days.
One of the reservoirs that has experienced a remarkable recovery is the Sau reservoir, which has reached 30% of its capacity, five times the amount of water it stored at the beginning of the special emptying operation.
However, the reservoirs in the Ebro basins are not recovering as quickly as those in the internal basins. Although reservoirs such as Oliana are close to 65% and Canelles to 15%, Rialb remains stagnant at around 10%.
Water levels are still not sufficient
According to the Government spokeswoman, the situation will not be considered completely normal until the reservoirs reach 60% of their capacity.
Therefore, we are still far from leaving the alert and exceptional drought scenarios, which have implied restrictions and have been declared in most of the municipalities of the internal basins.
It is crucial to continue to use water responsibly, especially now that summer is approaching, as there may be several weeks of low rainfall.
In addition, it is announced that the consumption data of the municipalities that exceed the established limits will be published, which will make it possible to identify how much water is being consumed in each locality and which ones are consuming more than agreed upon.
These data are part of an effort by the Generalitat to monitor and control water consumption in the region.
To continue saving water
To promote savings, one of the measures proposed is to use reclaimed water for irrigation or cleaning.
In addition, bases have been established so that municipalities facing difficulties in repairing their distribution networks can receive subsidies from the Catalan Water Agency (ACA).
These subsidies, which reach a maximum of 300,000 euros per municipality and vary according to the number of inhabitants, will help to improve infrastructure and ensure efficient water use.
As for renewable energies, Catalonia faces the challenge of increasing its capacity in this field.
Currently, the region does not have a significant level of renewable energy, and it is necessary to promote the implementation of sustainable projects.
Those municipalities that do not comply with this initiative could face fines from the Generalitat.
