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Sacedon, Spain
There is actually a reservoir here: At the moment, only the remains of a boat rental remind you of it.
In parts of the Iberian Peninsula it is as dry as it was 1,200 years ago.
It is not only nature that suffers from this.
Francisco Bazaga, restaurant owner
“The situation is dramatic in that it hasn't rained for several years and we've now reached rock bottom. If it doesn't rain and they don't find alternative water supplies, the future looks very, very bleak
."
In southern Andalusia, one of the warmest and driest parts of Europe, July was the hottest month in at least 60 years.
The water reservoirs are only 40 percent full.
There is no real prospect of improvement: the dry weather is expected to last until autumn.
Even in winter, meteorologists expect little rain.
Teresa Ribera, Minister of Energy Spain
“This is a particularly dry year, a very complicated year that confirms what climate change scenarios for countries with changing climates – long periods of heat combined with torrential rain and floods within one hydrological year – have long been predicting. That's dramatic
.«
The Spanish government is working on a water policy that is adapted to climate change.
Among other things, water purification and wastewater disposal are to be made more efficient - and the water network is to be digitized.
The extreme drought does have one advantage: tourists can currently marvel at the ruins of villages and bathhouses that have resurfaced.
On foot, without a boat.