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 somewhat forlorn with indicators studying: “Fountain turned off due to drought”.
The free musical present on the water function, 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 have been introduced on the weekend, which embody a ban on refilling swimming swimming pools in motels or campsites or topping them up except recycled water is used.
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If the heavens don’t open within the subsequent few months, Spain might 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 can be swimming swimming pools used for medical causes.
Fears for summer season
With the profitable summer season vacationer season forward, campsites are exploring methods to make use of seawater in swimming pools. One possibility could possibly be bringing seawater to high up swimming pools, however that is costly.
Washing automobiles and watering public gardens have been banned as a part of the primary stage of this emergency plan – except the water comes from an authorised recycling system.
Swimming golf equipment with outside swimming pools are exempt – for now – however are banned from utilizing showers. Tv experiences confirmed showers being taped up so they may not be used. Seaside showers have been turned off.
On the seaside in Gava, a city south of Barcelona, Lavinia Mestre was making the most of unusually scorching climate for February to take pleasure in a fast swim.
“I know some people who have stopped coming to the beach because of the lack of showers. But I bring a bottle and use the seawater to get the sand off my legs,” Mestre, a 20-year-old pupil, informed Al Jazeera.
“I understand why they have turned off the showers and it is not much of a sacrifice in the middle 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 no choice but to save the water. It is silly to waste the water when we have a chronic drought,” Miquel, 65, a retired lodge govt who lives in Barcelona, informed Al Jazeera.
The restrictions have an effect on about six million individuals in Barcelona and 200 cities, or about 80 p.c of the area’s inhabitants.
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Miquel Marti, a college lecturer in city planning in Barcelona, believes individuals should change their behaviour whereas residing in a drought.
“We put a bucket in the shower to collect water then use it in the toilet. We take less water to wash up and make sure that the washing machine is not on a long cycle. We have to change the way we live,” Marti, 50, informed Al Jazeera.
Authorities are beneath no phantasm in regards to the seriousness of the drought, which has seen reservoirs within the area fall to fifteen.8 p.c of regular ranges, in line with Spanish authorities figures.
“It’s the worst drought ever recorded,” Pere Aragones, Catalonia’s regional president, informed a press convention final week.
The emergency measures are designed to scale back the day by 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 line with the World Well being Group.
Most households in Barcelona already fall nicely under that restrict. Nevertheless, motels are utilizing far increased quantities of water, in line 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 Resort Guild, an business physique, hit again by publishing a report from 2022 which claimed that after years of campaigns about sustainable water use, the typical day by day use per individual in five-star motels had fallen to 242 litres (64 gallons).
Yurbban Motels, which has three motels in Barcelona, has requested friends to take up the “four-minute shower challenge.”
“We have decided to go a bit further and involve our guests so that they shower in four minutes,” mentioned Javier Diaz, director of motels and sustainability.
If there aren’t any rains earlier than spring, the private day by day restrict can be lowered to 180 litres (47 gallons), then 160 litres (42 gallons).
Below the brand new restrictions, agricultural irrigation should be reduce by 80 p.c – and water use in livestock farming by half and within the business and leisure sector by 25 p.c.
If triggered, a second part of restrictions would see showers at gyms switched off.
‘Climate without rain for years’
Catalonia’s water disaster comes after Spain and different components of Europe suffered a collection of heatwaves final 12 months that depleted reserves by way of evaporation whereas consumption elevated.
In Andalusia in southern Spain, a deep drought has additionally left authorities contemplating bringing in comparable emergency measures.
Antonio Aretxabala, a hydrology knowledgeable on the College of Zaragoza, mentioned Spain’s water disaster was brought on by a scarcity of rain and over-use of water for agriculture, which solely accounts for two.3 p.c of the nation’s gross home product.
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“We have a climate without rain for years and exorbitant use of water for agriculture. About 85 percent of water use is for agriculture. The rest is for human and industrial use,” he mentioned in an interview with Al Jazeera.
“Spain is one of the driest parts of Europe, but it has one of the biggest hydraulic footprints in terms of the kind of products we export like tomatoes or other fruit.”
Aretxabala mentioned people had adjusted their behaviour to local weather change, however agriculture had not modified quick sufficient.
The drought is just not solely affecting people but additionally damaging bushes, that are important to absorbing carbon dioxide that forestalls additional local weather change.
“The lack of rain means trees are weaker and more prone to illness and drying out. This means that they can absorb less carbon dioxide and there is a greater risk of forest fires,” mentioned Marta Gonzalez Santis of the Catalan Technological Forest Centre, which revealed a report on Monday on the injury that local weather change is doing to vegetation cowl.