Spain faces a long-lasting drought after 36 months of below-average rainfall, with some regions so dry that authorities have urged people to reduce their water use as forecasters warn of the worst.
Some reservoirs in Catalonia, which surrounds Barcelona, are so low that old buildings like bridges and a church bell tower have resurfaced. People fly kites on lakebeds and navigation apps show someone in the middle of the water when they’re on dry land.
The weather will be drier and warmer than usual this spring (in the Northern Hemisphere) along the northeast coast of the Mediterranean, which includes Catalonia. Dry weather will increase the risk of wildfires, even if it brings average rainfall across the country, Spain’s meteorological agency Aemet said.
“This is an area that we could describe as no man’s land because it is not being affected by the storms coming from the Atlantic and the Mediterranean,” Aemet spokesman Ruben del Campo told Reuters, referring to northeastern Spain.
He pointed to climate change as one of the main factors.
“Heat waves in this geographic area of the planet are more frequent, they are increasing more frequently than in other regions,” he said.
Spain’s drought, measured over 12 months, is no worse than in 2017, 2012 and 2005. But the average water level in Catalonia’s reservoirs is just 27%, slightly higher than the level in parts of southern Andalusia.
After 25 months without significant rain, Catalonia earlier this month asked most of its seven million inhabitants to reduce water use by 8% at home, 15% in industry and 40% in agriculture.
Source: CNN Brasil
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