The La Baells reservoir, in Bergadá (Barcelona), is at 56% of its capacity.Lorena Sopêna (Europa Press)
The Catalan Water Agency (ACA) declared this Monday the state of prealert due to drought in several of the most important points of the Catalan internal basins after reviewing the system's reservoirs.
The situation already affects 5.5 million people (73% of the total population), who live in 119 municipalities in eight counties in Barcelona and three in Girona, including the Barcelona metropolitan area.
Water reserves are just over half full.
The state of pre-alert affects the reservoirs of the Ter-Llobregat system, the headwaters of the Llobregat river, and the Prades-Llaberia hydrological unit.
In addition, the aquifer of the Fluvià and Muga rivers continues to be on alert and, despite the slightly increasing trend in its levels, the limitations and restrictions on the different uses that are supplied by the networks of this drinking water in 22 municipalities of Alt Empordà.
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The lack of rain and the decrease in reservoir water increase the fear of drought in Spain
The pre-alert situation due to drought already affects a large part of the population, especially those concentrated in the Barcelona metropolitan area.
In total, there are 119 municipalities in the Alt Penedès, Anoia, Baix Llobregat, Barcelonès, Garraf, Maresme, Selva, Vallès Oriental and Vallès Occidental counties that are supplied with drinking water from Ter-Llobregat and another 26 from Baix Empordà and Gironès. .
Since the beginning of February, when the reserves of the Llobregat and Ter reservoirs were below 60% (they are now at 56%), various measures began to be automatically activated to reduce the rate of decline of the reservoirs.
Among them, the productivity of the desalination plants was increased, which went from a production of 30% to the current 85%.
Well Preparation
In the pre-alert scenario, there are no planned restrictions on any of the uses.
The measures are only aimed at the use of non-conventional resources, such as reclaimed water and the set-up to prepare for the possible activation of drought wells, wells that had fallen into disuse and that in the 2007 and 2008 drought were recovered to have them active in case it was necessary to collect groundwater.
This measure was also activated in 2017 and 2018. The pre-alert also involves checking the emergency plans with the town halls and water supply entities and preparing the first municipal edicts.