Barcelona, Spain – The Magic Fountain is a well-liked vacationer attraction the place colored jets of water shot up within the air as classical or pop favourites performed.
Not anymore.
Like fountains throughout Barcelona, it lies dry and a bit of forlorn with indicators studying: “Fountain turned off as a consequence of drought”.
The free musical present on the water characteristic, which had run for practically 100 years, is one other casualty of what Catalan authorities in northern Spain have described because the “worst drought ever”.
After three years with out sustained rainfall, emergency measures had been introduced on the weekend, which embody a ban on refilling swimming swimming pools in resorts or campsites or topping them up until recycled water is used.
If the heavens don’t open within the subsequent few months, Spain could order two ships per day to hold water from Valencia to the Catalan capital, Barcelona port authorities mentioned.
Vacationers visiting Catalonia – Spain’s hottest vacationer area, which attracted 18 million guests final 12 months – face the prospect of swimming pool closures as consultants predicted swimming pools will inevitably run dry due to spillage and evaporation.
The one exception will likely be swimming swimming pools used for medical causes.
Fears for summer time
With the profitable summer time vacationer season forward, campsites are exploring methods to make use of seawater in swimming pools. One choice might be bringing seawater to high up swimming pools, however that is costly.
Washing vehicles and watering public gardens had been banned as a part of the primary stage of this emergency plan – until the water comes from an authorised recycling system.
Swimming golf equipment with out of doors swimming pools are exempt – for now – however are banned from utilizing showers. Tv studies confirmed showers being taped up so they may not be used. Seashore showers had been turned off.
On the seaside in Gava, a city south of Barcelona, Lavinia Mestre was making the most of unusually sizzling climate for February to get pleasure from a fast swim.
“I do know some individuals who have stopped coming to the seaside due to the shortage of showers. However I convey a bottle and use the seawater to get the sand off my legs,” Mestre, a 20-year-old pupil, instructed Al Jazeera.
“I perceive why they’ve turned off the showers and it’s not a lot of a sacrifice in the course of a drought.”
‘Worst drought ever recorded’
In Barcelona, many have been stirred into motion after months with out rain.
As Ana Miquel waited for the water to heat in her kitchen, she collected 5 litres in a bottle.
“We have now no selection however to save lots of the water. It’s foolish to waste the water when now we have a continual drought,” Miquel, 65, a retired resort government who lives in Barcelona, instructed Al Jazeera.
The restrictions have an effect on about six million folks in Barcelona and 200 cities, or about 80 p.c of the area’s inhabitants.
![Barcelona drought](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IMG-20240203-WA0015-1707210649.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C1027)
Miquel Marti, a college lecturer in city planning in Barcelona, believes folks should change their behaviour whereas dwelling in a drought.
“We put a bucket within the bathe to gather water then use it in the bathroom. We take much less water to scrub up and be sure that the washer will not be on a protracted cycle. We have now to alter the best way we reside,” Marti, 50, instructed Al Jazeera.
Authorities are underneath no phantasm concerning the seriousness of the drought, which has seen reservoirs within the area fall to fifteen.8 p.c of regular ranges, in keeping with Spanish authorities figures.
“It’s the worst drought ever recorded,” Pere Aragones, Catalonia’s regional president, instructed a press convention final week.
The emergency measures are designed to scale back the every day quantity permitted for residential makes use of from 210 to 200 litres (55 to 53 gallons) per individual.
A median 10-minute bathe consumes 150-200 litres (40-53 gallons), in keeping with the World Well being Group.
Most households in Barcelona already fall nicely beneath that restrict. Nevertheless, resorts are utilizing far increased quantities of water, in keeping with a 2016 survey from Barcelona Regional, a growth authority, which confirmed that Jacuzzis and swimming pools in five-star institutions exceeded 540 litres (143 gallons) per visitor per day.
The Barcelona Lodge Guild, an trade physique, hit again by publishing a report from 2022 which claimed that after years of campaigns about sustainable water use, the typical every day use per individual in five-star resorts had fallen to 242 litres (64 gallons).
Yurbban Lodges, which has three resorts in Barcelona, has requested visitors to take up the “four-minute bathe problem.”
“We have now determined to go a bit additional and contain our visitors in order that they bathe in 4 minutes,” mentioned Javier Diaz, director of resorts and sustainability.
If there aren’t any rains earlier than spring, the non-public every day restrict will likely be lowered to 180 litres (47 gallons), then 160 litres (42 gallons).
Underneath the brand new restrictions, agricultural irrigation have to be lower by 80 p.c – and water use in livestock farming by half and within the trade and leisure sector by 25 p.c.
If triggered, a second part of restrictions would see showers at gyms switched off.
‘Local weather with out rain for years’
Catalonia’s water disaster comes after Spain and different components of Europe suffered a sequence of heatwaves final 12 months that depleted reserves by evaporation whereas consumption elevated.
In Andalusia in southern Spain, a deep drought has additionally left authorities contemplating bringing in related emergency measures.
Antonio Aretxabala, a hydrology skilled on the College of Zaragoza, mentioned Spain’s water disaster was attributable to an absence of rain and over-use of water for agriculture, which solely accounts for two.3 p.c of the nation’s gross home product.
![Barcelona drought](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IMG-20240202-WA0005-1707210633.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C1027)
“We have now a local weather with out rain for years and exorbitant use of water for agriculture. About 85 p.c of water use is for agriculture. The remaining is for human and industrial use,” he mentioned in an interview with Al Jazeera.
“Spain is among the driest components of Europe, nevertheless it has one of many greatest hydraulic footprints when it comes to the form of merchandise we export like tomatoes or different fruit.”
Aretxabala mentioned people had adjusted their behaviour to local weather change, however agriculture had not modified quick sufficient.
The drought will not be solely affecting people but additionally damaging timber, that are important to absorbing carbon dioxide that forestalls additional local weather change.
“The dearth of rain means timber are weaker and extra liable to sickness and drying out. Which means that they will take in much less carbon dioxide and there’s a higher danger of forest fires,” mentioned Marta Gonzalez Santis of the Catalan Technological Forest Centre, which printed a report on Monday on the harm that local weather change is doing to vegetation cowl.