A total of 700,000 people will suffer restrictions on the use of water
This week will end in Catalonia with 301 municipalities in 21 counties in drought alert status. The Government spokeswoman, Patrícia Plaja, has described the situation as “worrying”, although she has indicated that the desalination plants are working “at their maximum level”.
The Catalan Water Agency declared this Wednesday the hydrological alert in the Fluvià de la Muga aquifer. With this, there are already nine areas on alert: Carme-Capellades, the source of the Ter, the Llobregat Mitjà, Anoia Gaià, Empordà, the Serralada Transversal, Banyoles and Prades Llaberia. The Ter Llobregat, Darnius Boadella, Riudecanyes and Consorci d’Aigües de Tarragona aquifers remain on prealert.
The Fluvià Muga aquifer, which supplies 22 municipalities of Alt Empordà, has been registering a constant drop in its level in recent months. At the moment, the groundwater body is located at 15.4 meters above sea level. For this reason, the ACA has chosen to reduce water consumption in agricultural, livestock, industrial and recreational uses. The decision will come into force once it is published in the DOGC, at the end of this week.
When this basin enters the alert scenario, there will be 301 municipalities in a drought alert situation. In total, it will affect 700,000 inhabitants, 10% of the Catalan population. Of these municipalities, 37 are on alert due to the low volume of the aquifers (15 from the Carme-Capellades and 22 from the Fluvià Muga) and the remaining 264 are on alert due to low rainfall and because they guarantee their water demands from their own wells, intakes surface or reservoirs.
limited uses
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The drought alert supposes a series of limitations in the use of water, such as the reduction of consumption for agricultural irrigation (25%), for livestock uses (10%), for industrial uses (5%), for recreational uses that imply irrigation (30%) and other recreational uses (5%).
As for the domestic uses, there are limitations for certain urban uses that all affected municipalities must comply with. This restricts the irrigation of gardens and green areas, the filling of swimming pools or car washing. It is also prohibited to fill ornamental fountains and private individuals cannot clean the streets with water from the network. Likewise, in the global consumption for supply, a maximum of 250 liters per day per person is set.