GPS News
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Drought-hit Barcelona to ease water restrictions after rains
Drought-hit Barcelona to ease water restrictions after rains
by AFP Staff Writers
Barcelona (AFP) May 7, 2024

Spain's Catalonia region said Tuesday it will ease restrictions on water use for Barcelona and its surrounding area after recent rainfall allowed it to lift a drought emergency.

The announcement comes ahead of a regional election in Catalonia on Sunday in which the ruling pro-independence ERC party -- which has faced criticism over its handling of the drought -- is trailing in opinion polls.

Catalonia declared a drought emergency in February after water levels at reservoirs in the Mediterranean region fell below 16 percent of full capacity following nearly three years of below-average rainfall.

The measure led to tighter water use restrictions for some six million people living in a wide area including Spain's second-city Barcelona, especially for crop irrigation, livestock farming and industry.

But recent rains in the wealthy northwestern region have boosted reserves to nearly 24 percent.

This increase in water reserves "allows us to reduce the restrictions put in place over the last three months," Catalan government spokeswoman Patricia Plaja told a Barcelona news conference.

"The drought is not over, that is the reality. We are still facing a serious drought," she added.

The loosened restrictions means farmers will now only have to cut the amount of water used to irrigate crops by 40 percent instead of 80 percent, while industries must reduce water use by 15 percent instead of 25 percent.

Individual use limits will be increased to 230 litres per day from 200 litres during the drought emergency.

Catalonia's regional government said it would still go ahead with plans to install 12 mobile desalination plants on the Costa Brava, one of the tourist areas most affected by water shortages, as well as a floating desalination plant in the port of Barcelona.

Related Links
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Oases expand but face threats from desertification and climate change
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 23, 2024
Despite covering only about 1.5% of the world's land, oases are vital water sources for dryland regions, supporting 10% of the global population. Recent studies, however, warn that these critical habitats are increasingly vulnerable to desertification and climate change. Over the past 25 years, while some oases have expanded due to human intervention, others have diminished due to environmental pressures. "Oases are crucial, yet until now, we've lacked comprehensive data on their global distributi ... read more

CLIMATE SCIENCE
New Climate-Adaptive Crop Lab at University of Essex Targets Future Food Security

Mongolia's wildlife at risk from overgrazing

Chad's cotton farmers burned by climate change and false promises

Oil palm cultivation linked to significant watershed disturbances

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Enhanced pure red light-emitting devices advance wearable technology

World's purest silicon propels quantum computing advancements

Experiment Allows for Potential Millions of Qubits on Single Chip

Groundbreaking Microcapacitors Could Power Chips of the Future

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Health body recommends Brussels night flight ban

Japan confirms navy choppers collided in April accident

NASA's Arctic Balloon Missions Set for 2024 Sweden Campaign

Supersonic fighter crashes in New Mexico national park

CLIMATE SCIENCE
EU election could force sharp turn in electric car policy

EV automakers get reprieve in US tax credit rules

Global car giants seek tech allies in China's cutthroat EV market

Europe's auto suppliers reach the end of the road

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Most markets rise after Wall St rally as US rate optimism lingers

EU ready to protect economy, bloc chief tells China

EU chief says will urge 'fair' China competition in talks with Xi

China's Xi in Serbia for talks to boost economic ties

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Market-based schemes not reducing deforestation, poverty: report

Reevaluation of carbon-capture models highlights inaccuracies

Two charged in UK over 'Robin Hood tree' cut down

How can forests be reforested in a climate-friendly way

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Satellogic unveils expansive high-resolution image dataset for AI training

BAE Systems to construct new atmospheric sensor for NOAA's GeoXO satellites

Small aerosol particles proven critical in cloud formation

Bridging the gap: USUS computer scientists develop new model

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Researchers unveil novel technique for creating atomically thin nanoscrolls

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.