Catalan government to ease drought restrictions

The Catalan government will adjust drought restrictions in the Darnius-Boadella, Riudecanyes, and Fluvià-Muga reservoirs following the recent Storm Jana.

This news comes after the government insisted last week that the restrictions were to remain in place.

As a result, the Fluvià-Muga basin in northern Catalonia is now the only area still in a state of exceptionality. Meanwhile, restrictions in Darnius-Boadella's have been downgraded to a state of alert, and Riudecanyes has moved to a pre-alert status.

These changes are expected to take effect next week.
 
“We’re at the beginning of a process to ease drought restrictions,” Catalan territory minister Sílvia Paneque told press on Tuesday. She explained that the government is making initial decisions while monitoring conditions “in the coming weeks.”

Paneque emphasized that the decision to lift the restrictions is based not only on rising basin levels after a rainy winter but also on weather forecasts. She stressed the importance of maintaining some restrictions for at least five to six months.

Despite these improvements, the minister warned that the drought is not over yet. The government is continuing to develop technological solutions to increase water levels without relying on rainfall.

Drought measures protocol

Since October 2021, the emergency plan against drought has been in place. Actions that form part of this plan are determined by a traffic light protocol that Catalan authorities have in place, determining what to do in the event of water levels in reservoirs dipping below a certain threshold. Unlike street traffic lights, this one has five colors: blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.

The traffic light system that Catalonia uses for reservoirs and water use is as follows:

Blue - All normal.  

Green - Pre-alert stage, when reservoirs are below 60% full. Authorities monitor water reserves more closely and information campaigns may be published.

Yellow - Alert stage, when reservoirs are below 40% full. The first set of restrictions are brought in, water is distributed in accordance with priority, and the production of non-conventional resources such as aquifers and other underground extractions increases.

Orange - Exceptional state, when reservoir levels are below 25% full. Further reductions in non-priority use of water. The extraction of water from unconventional and underground resources is fully activated. Certain uses are prohibited in urban areas. Allocations were reduced for things like agricultural use, recreational use, and industrial use. Forbidden to clean streets, sewers, pavements, and buildings with drinking water. A maximum allocation of 230 liters per inhabitant per day is established.

Pink – Pre-emergency state, where transitional measures will be applied before entering into an emergency state.

Red - Emergency, when reservoirs are below 16% full. Restrictions in all use, and distribution controlled, but human use is the top priority. A maximum of 200 liters of water per person per day is established, and this can be lowered if necessary.