The Spanish region of Catalonia is experiencing a severe drought: there has been almost no rain for three years. The good news is that only a little rain is now needed to prevent further emergency measures regarding water use.
“We need very little rain to avoid entering phase two,” David Mascourt said. He is the head of environment in the Catalan regional government.
The first phase of emergency restrictions, which have been imposed since the beginning of this month, requires residents to reduce their water consumption by 5 percent. Farmers were forced to reduce consumption by up to 80 percent. If rain does not fall now, the region will have to take more stringent measures. This state of emergency applies to more than six million residents, including the capital, Barcelona.
To ensure that these measures are not necessary, there would have to be so much rain that the water tanks would be 20 percent full. Now it's 15 percent. Furthermore, tap water has been no longer safe to drink in several places since December.
Some rain is expected in the area, but it is unclear how much. Additionally, not all weather sites report the same thing.
0:58Aerial images show drought in Catalonia, with water use restricted
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