Catalonia to declare drought emergency in Barcelona in January

The government expects the Ter Llobregat system, which supplies water to most of Catalonia, to enter the emergency phase in January instead of December as originally planned.  

More than 3.2 million residents in the Barcelona metropolitan area were placed under a pre-emergency drought alert on November 21 as a result of the ongoing drought, the worst ever recorded in Catalonia.  

The Minister of Climate Action, David Mascort, said on Tuesday that new measures will be implemented when the area enters the emergency phase.  

Specifically, he explained that the water flow in the rivers Llobregat, Ter and Muga will be reduced, the opening of new farms and hotels will be postponed and the use of showers in changing rooms in certain sports facilities will be prohibited.  

However, the watering of municipal trees to prevent them from dying and the maintenance of public or sports swimming pools and football pitches will still be allowed.

Mascort said some drought plans were being modified "to move forward and to try to affect economic activity as little as possible."

Shower ban clarified

Later on Tuesday, the climate action department clarified that only in sports facilities and gyms that have swimming pools or where grass is watered will showers be prohibited.