in Barcelona, ​​the water pressure in taps will be reduced

In Barcelona, ​​it hasn’t rained, or not enough, for three years. Water supplies are at an all-time low, and authorities will soon reduce tap water pressure in the city and its suburbs.

By the end of the month, tap water will flow more gently into the kitchens and bathrooms of Barcelonans. Weeks pass and the rain still does not fall. So the authorities, faced with this historic drought, are taking new measures to further reduce water consumption.

The region’s water retention basins have never been lower, at only 16% of their capacity. A drought emergency will be declared in a few days. And the pressure in the taps will therefore drop, but some residents will notice it more than others, explains Josep Lluis Arenter, head of the drought plan in Catalonia.

“When we lower the pressure, the people on the ground floor won’t notice it, but those above will notice the change.”

Josep Lluis Arenter, responsible for the plan against drought in Catalonia

at franceinfo

By reducing tap pressure, water consumption should drop by 7%. A measure that Catalina, mother, understands. “It hasn’t rained for months. We’re very worried. Obviously, no one is happy to deprive themselves of a little water in everyday life. But it’s essential,” she agrees. She is making efforts to reduce her consumption. “At home, when we run the water to heat it, we collect the cold water and reuse it for the toiletshe explains. And then the daily shower is much shorter.”

Try to avoid water cuts

And other restrictions will be put in place. It will be forbidden, for example, to wash your vehicle, water your garden or fill your swimming pool. Agriculture and industry will have to further reduce their water consumption. In the city, in Barcelona, ​​the parks and gardens have not been watered for almost a year. Result : almost 500 Trees died and had to be cut down.

To deal with the emergency, Catalonia is now preparing to bring in water by boat. “A boat can carry between 20 000 and 30 000 cubic meters of waterspecifies David Mascort, the regional Minister of the Environment. It can only be a surgical operation to supply water to certain strategic places in the territory. This is not the solution to the drought.”

Authorities hope to avoid water cuts at certain times of the day. But at the rate at which the drought is advancing and given the absence of rain forecasts, nothing can guarantee it.