The metropolitan area of Barcelona was placed in a state of "emergency" by the authorities on Thursday. This decision will result in new limits on water consumption for six million inhabitants in total, with strong restrictions in particular for industry and agriculture.
“Catalonia is suffering its worst drought in a century. We have never been confronted with such a long and intense episode since we have been keeping rainfall records,” says the president of the Catalan regional government Pere Aragonès. The maximum average consumption ceiling for residents of the 202 municipalities in the region affected by the restrictions has been lowered.