Government reduces daily water consumption from 230 to 210 liters per person in Barcelona

The Catalan government has placed the Barcelona metropolitan area under a "pre-emergency" drought alert as the region faces its worst dry spell on record.   

The new alert, which is a transition between the current "exceptionality" alert and the most serious "emergency" alert, will allow the government to impose tougher water conservation measures.  

A new measure announced is the reduction of daily water consumption from 230 to 201 liters per person, as well as the reduction of monthly water allowed for irrigation of sports fields from 450 to 200 cubic meters per hectare. This applies to all clubs, even big ones like FC Barcelona and Girona, who will have to limit their consumption to comply with the new rule.

The irrigation of green areas, both private and public, is prohibited, except for the irrigation of sports fields and the irrigation of trees for their survival.

Other measures already in place include a 40% water reduction for agricultural use, a 15% reduction for industrial use and a variable reduction for recreational use. It is now prohibited to fill up private swimming pools, but public pools are allowed to be partially filled or filled up for the first time.

The new measure will affect more than six million people in 202 municipalities from 14 counties that are part of the Ter-Llobregat system, including Barcelona and neighboring cities.

The Ter-Llobregat system is a complex network of water collection, storage and recycling facilities that allow the water from the Ter, Llobregat and Cardener rivers to reach household taps with optimal quality for human consumption.

National emergency on the horizon

Catalan government spokesperson Patrícia Plaja warned that the activation of the state of emergency is "inevitable."

The water level in Catalonia's reservoirs, specifically the internal drainage basins, is now at 18.5%. The emergency alert will be activated when they reach 16%. 

The Catalan Minister for Climate Action, David Mascort, said the purpose of the pre-emergency alert is to raise awareness among the public to conserve water before the emergency threshold is reached. He emphasized Catalonia is facing a "national emergency."

"Today we are taking a step forward, we are calling on the whole country, citizens, and economic activity to go into emergency mode," he said.

"We cannot make it rain, but as a country, it is in our hands to reduce the consumption of water in every home, company, and business," he added. 

"This moment is very critical. We could almost say we are in a national emergency due to the lack of rain in our reservoirs," he said.

What measures will be in place?

When the emergency alert is announced, several new measures will come into force, but water cuts are not on the table for now, and the government said it would only use them as a last resort.

The first measure likely to be introduced would be the reduction of water pressure. Some water companies have already started testing this and said it could reduce water consumption by 7%.

Reducing water pressure is a preferred option because it carries fewer risks than shutting off water, which could burst pipes. However, it could affect hot water functions, or interfere with washing machines and dishwashers.

The government has not ruled out using ships to bring water to Barcelona and supply the city. In fact, the Port of Barcelona is already preparing for such a scenario. The work, if it's implemented, could cost around 4 million euros and would be completed in two or three months.

A never-ending dry spell 

Catalonia has received 500 mm less rain than usual over the past three years, with the current drought starting in the fall of 2020. Since then, there has not been a heavy rain episode that has brought enough precipitation to reverse the situation.

To return to a normal situation, the territory would need a rain episode equivalent to the average annual rainfall in Barcelona. The reason for concern is that there is no such rain forecast expected in the coming months.

On the other hand, Barcelona is already one of the lowest water-consuming cities in Europe, with a per capita consumption of 106 liters.   

Previously, 85% of Barcelona's water came from reservoirs and the rest from desalination plants. But in recent years, the city has drastically reduced its reliance on reservoirs, which now only supply 50% of the city's water. 

Some experts say that even with more stringent measures in place, it will be difficult to save any more water than is already being saved today.