Catalonia has now officially entered a state of ‘drought emergency’. After the Generalitat Government announced this situation as of Friday, February 2. This is an unprecedented situation in its history and will affect 6 million people in the Barcelona and Girona regions. Daily consumption per person will be limited to a maximum of 200 liters.
What are the stages of drought and what measures does the Generalitat take in this situation?
Drought scenarios
The emergency phase is the third and most serious scenario among the four proposed scenarios as it covers very serious situations.
Stages:
1. Warning phase: administrative and operational preparation for the effective initiation of operational drought declaration.
2. Phase 1 of Reductions: Reducing consumption with incentive and deterrent measures, increasing resource availability by transferring between uses and carrying out rapid incorporation studies.
3. Stage 2 restrictions: Reducing consumption by strengthening coercive measures that have a greater socioeconomic impact.
4. Emergency Phase 3: very serious scenarios with far-reaching economic and social impacts.
Practical consequences of the emergency phase
Emergency phase 3 has three phases: In the first, Water resources have been reduced to 200 liters per person per day for all uses. (commercial, industrial, recreational or personal) and drops to 180 and 160 liters respectively in the second and third phases, while other restrictions increase.
Therefore, entering an emergency situation means: Agricultural irrigation will be reduced by 80 percent, livestock irrigation by 50 percent, and industrial irrigation by 25 percent.The same percentage applies to recreational uses.
It also assumes that: It is forbidden to use drinking water for cleaning urban areas. The use of reclaimed or groundwater is permitted except in the event of an accident or fire.
Additionally, you cannot wash your car except in establishments dedicated to this activity. It has water circulation circuits.
How will the declaration of state of emergency be affected?
The drought emergency brings with it the harshest usage restrictions ever seen and will change the relationship with water for the six million people living in the Barcelona metropolitan area and much of the province of Barcelona – for the duration. Girona.
These are the ten major measures:
1. Less pressure on the faucet
The Barcelona Metropolitan Region (AMB) already has an approved plan to reduce water pressure, but it will not be a general practice in areas with high-rise buildings (as the water cannot reach the upper floors).
The plan is to start implementing this in municipalities that exceed the maximum of 200 liters per person per day; these are not the largest municipalities (Barcelona, for example, has 173), but rather settlements with urbanization, such as Cervelló. (282 liters), Palma de Cervelló (278), Corbera de Llobregat (262), Sant Vicens dels Horts (235) and Begues (213).
When pressure reduction is applied, some savings will be made and, according to the operating companies, the user will hardly notice it.
2. You can’t wash the car
You cannot wash your car except in organizations using water circulation that are accredited for this activity.
3. Keep saving at home, suggestions only
There are no effective restrictions at home, but it is recommended to continue saving as much as possible by taking measures such as turning off the shower while soaping.
The government recommends that household consumption should not exceed 90 liters per person per day.
4. Another way to clean the streets
The use of drinking water is prohibited for cleaning urban spaces, except for cleaning accident or fire residues, but the use of regenerated or groundwater is allowed.
But the majority of municipalities already use groundwater with a margin, as in Barcelona, which consumes 173 liters of water per capita per day.
Additionally, you cannot wash your car except in dedicated establishments with water circulation circuits.
5. Less water for work
During this emergency phase, agricultural irrigation will be reduced by 80%, livestock irrigation by 50%, and industrial irrigation by 25%, the same as recreational uses.
The government also imposed a moratorium on new economic activities that require intensive water use, such as new farms or expansion of existing farms, industries or tourist activities, and new urban plans.
6. Swim in salt water
During the Easter period, if the weather is nice, or in summer, hotel and camping pools can only be filled with salt water; filling with fresh water is prohibited in any case.
Of course, there are some exceptions in emergency phases I and II, for indoor pools registered in the Generalitat’s sports equipment census and for outdoor pools used for federated sports practices throughout the year, if they have a water recirculation system. Quantities required to guarantee sanitary quality.
Emergency II to save water equivalent to the amount of water used to fill the pool. Showers will be closed during this phase.
7. No showers or foam parties on the beach
Just like last year, when you leave the beach in the summer months, there will be no showers to clean your feet or remove the salt from your body.
Likewise, public or private recreational activities that involve the use of water suitable for human consumption, such as ice rinks, foam parties or water games, are also prohibited.
8. You cannot water gardens and green areas
The use of water to irrigate gardens and green areas, both private and public, is prohibited, except for the survival of trees or public botanical gardens (in phases I and II), as long as it is done with regenerated or groundwater. As the Barcelona City Council already does, for example.
Emergency III. If the stage is reached, irrigation with non-potable water will be permitted only for the survival of individual or monumental trees.
9. Wet only the combined sports grass
Irrigation of natural grass sports fields or other surfaces requiring irrigation for the purpose of practicing federated sports can be done as long as certain conditions are met, such as the use of regenerated water or groundwater, as long as there is no decrease in the amount of water. ensuring domestic water supply and saving water equivalent to the amount of water used in irrigation (such as turning off showers) by applying additional saving measures in the same sports facility.
10. Fountains and empty rivers
Ornamental fountains or artificial lakes may not be filled in whole or in part, except in the presence of a fauna in danger of extinction, for which the minimum required water from replenishment or from the groundwater table will be used.
Rivers will also be emptier: the government has changed the minimum flows in the Muga, Ter and Llobregat rivers in order to hold more water in reservoirs; This measure was appealed to the Prosecutor’s Office by environmental groups on the grounds that it constituted harm. to the biological diversity of the region.
economic anxiety
Barcelona Chamber of Commerce President Josep Santacreu on Thursday called for the “broadest possible consensus” to confront the persistent drought experienced by Catalonia and warned that the water shortage would be “structural”. now in this autonomy.
Santacreu stated at a press conference that possible rains in February may ease the situation, but “we are probably heading towards a structural water problem.” He also regretted that despite commitments to the current Government’s strategy, namely water desalination and reuse, political decisions in this area had not been taken – “we are more than a decade late”, he noted – “Good but not enough.”
Joan Ramon Rovira, head of the Cabinet for Economic Research and Infrastructure, also warned that the drought could have a significant impact on the Catalan economy.
from Catalan environmental, social and neighborhood groups’D’on no n’hi ha, no en raja‘(There is no flow where there is no flow)’ the ‘lack of responsibility’ of the administrations in managing drought and planning water resources was complained about.
The statement drew particular attention to the “mismanagement” of the Generalitat in the implementation of the Special Drought Plan (PES), due to the failure to calculate consumption data of economic activities with water concessions granted by the Catalan Water Agency (ACA). So “there is no way of knowing whether the PES is being adhered to and whether the restrictions are sufficient.”
Droughts will become increasingly frequent due to the impact of the climate crisis, as the ACA predicts a reduction in water availability in Catalonia of up to 18% by 2050.
It is a new normal that forces citizens to use a limited resource more responsibly (domestic consumption has increased rather than decreased in recent months) and governments to adapt to new times.
Desalination plants and regeneration
In this adaptation process, two desalination plants in Catalonia come into play. Currently in Catalonia there are the Tordera desalination plants (next to Blanes and in operation since 2002) and El Prat (2009), providing 80 cubic hectometers of drinking water per year; this is a volume equivalent to the water consumed by the entire metropolitan area. In Barcelona for four months. These plants started gaining weight after the last major water crisis in 2008
The Generalitat plans to put out tenders for the €250 million expansion of the Tordera desalination plant (Gerona) this year, but no further such plants are currently planned to be built in Catalonia.
Another method is regeneration or purification, which is based on the second use of used water by passing it through a treatment plant. The Generalitat has proposed doubling the volume of renewed water in the coming years.
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