Extreme Drought Forces Spain to Impose Strict Water Restrictions

Drought has forced Spain to impose water restrictions in the northeastern part of the country, according to reports. This comes as water reservoirs in the country have almost emptied due to drought that has persisted for several months this year. The measures were implemented to limit water use in the region. The water crisis is seen not only in the European nation but also in other places in the world.

The drought disaster coincides with a massive heatwave, marked by unusually high temperatures, in the Northern Hemisphere, especially since the current summer season started in June. Not only drought affected the water supply from once-filled reservoirs but also damaged crops and posed a risk to animals in poultry farms and the wild that also rely on water.

Spain Drought

The Catalonia region in northeastern Spain has suffered from the relentless drought for a while now. To address the issue, Catalonia authorities last week implemented the new water usage restrictions in 22 villages around the Darnius Boadella reservoir, Reuters reported.

A 79-year-old local resident in the area told Reuters that the reservoir is only 20% full as of early this week. Since recordings started in the 1960s, Spain registered its driest start of 2023 in the first four months this year, with the most affected not only Catalonia but also the country's Andalusia region.

According to The Wall Street Journal on Monday, August 7, the Spain drought forced the country to use the sea as a source of its drinking water, including in Barcelona where tap water consists of 20% processed seawater.

What is Drought Disaster?

Drought is primarily caused by a lack of rainfall, which leads to severe water shortages and it can be fatal. For instance, East Africa is experiencing the worst drought in 40 years, with more than 1.4 million people displaced in Somalia alone, due to the said natural disaster, according to the International Rescue Committee.

Due to rising global temperatures, drought is becoming more common around the world, leading to crop failures, famine, and malnutrition, the rescue committee adds. Even developed countries are not invulnerable to its effects since prolong dry conditions and hot temperatures deplete both natural and artificial water reservoirs.

World's Deadliest Drought

Droughts, being a natural phenomenon, have occurred long before modern human civilizations. Even without the influence of anthropogenic or human-induced climate change and global warming, droughts have also shaped ecosystems and landscapes. However, it has persisted over the last several centuries, some of which have been recorded.

In China, the worst drought-driven famine occurred from 1876 to 1870, wherein between 9 to 13 million people died due to the absence of rainfall for three consecutive years. It is also within this period (1876 to 1878) that 5 million Indians died when the drenching monsoon rainfall failed to pour down in successive years, according to the Guinness World Records.