The recent weeks of rainfall have not been enough to undo the drought that has gripped much of Catalonia, driven by an exceptionally dry summer and autumn. In total, 514 Catalan municipalities across 27 districts are already on drought alert, including the Barcelona metropolitan area where about 6.7 million residents live, representing roughly 80 percent of the region’s population, as reported by the Generalitat.
Gen Generalitat President Pere Aragonès chaired the Interdepartmental Drought Commission on Tuesday as Catalonia faces a worsening situation with prolonged dryness and scant rainfall. The inner basins’ marshes sit at their lowest level since 2007, currently at about 34 percent of capacity.
The commission reviewed the Ter-Llobregat system, which serves the largest urban population in Catalonia, and the Darnius Boadella reservoir, which is expected to be on alert this week. These developments expand the number of municipalities affected by water scarcity.
Water shortage persists despite recent rains, as reported in local media.
This marked the second meeting of the Interdepartmental Drought Commission following an initial gathering in early August, reaffirming the vulnerability of the Ter Llobregat system at 34 percent capacity (207 hm³) and the ongoing decline in water reserves, including 33 percent (20 hm³) at Darnius Boadella.
Following the meeting, the government authorized the director of the Catalan Water Agency to sign the resolution announcing a warning for the Ter-Llobregat and Darnius Boadella systems. The warning will take effect once published in the Official Gazette, with DOGC publication anticipated over the weekend.
Current status: no domestic consumption restrictions yet
The alert does not yet propose cutting drinking or domestic water use, but it does impose reductions in agricultural, livestock, industrial, and recreational uses, such as banning pool filling and encouraging reductions in garden and plant irrigation.
The Catalan Drought Plan, a tool for managing periods of water scarcity, has been active since October 2021.
Since then, ACA has monitored the condition of inland basins on a monthly basis, relying on the main supply sources such as reservoirs, aquifers, and precipitation.
In the Ter Llobregat region, which has been in pre-alarm status since February, measures have included a substantial ramp-up in desalination capacity—from 20 percent to 90 percent—contributing more than 54 hm³ to the system over nine months.
Reservoirs remain at critically low levels, a situation that would leave the Ter Llobregat system perilously close to the threshold of extraordinary scarcity without desalination.
Alongside desalination, the pre-warning phase has seen a boost in recovered water production, enabling the flow of about 2,000 liters per second in the final stretch of the Llobregat River to guarantee ecological flow.
During the warning phase, part of this recovered water—around 900 liters per second—is anticipated to support agricultural irrigation via the canal to the right of Llobregat, while the remaining 1,100 liters per second is earmarked to ensure ecological flow.
In summary, Catalan authorities are using a combination of desalination, recovered water, and targeted irrigation to manage water stress while safeguarding ecological needs and public supply. The situation continues to be monitored closely by the ACA and regional authorities, with timely adjustments as meteorological conditions evolve. [Cita: Generalitat de Catalunya]