Sau reservoir, 100 kilometers from Barcelona, ​​has been supplying water to both capitals for half a century Catalonia as well as other cities. However, in recent months, he has become her “face”. severe drought that have plagued the region in recent decades.

The water level has receded to such an extent that his church is now visible. San Roma de Sau XI century, remaining under the surface of the water since the creation of an artificial lake in 1962.

This part of Catalonia has not had sustained rainfall for 2.5 years. By early March, the water level had fallen to 8% of its capacity, down from 55% a year earlier.

“I have never seen it so empty,” said Agustin Torrent, a 70-year-old man who has lived in the area all his life. “It is sad when you see that the reservoir is overflowing. But that’s the way things are. This is climate change. And whoever says that it doesn’t exist, what can you tell him…”, he adds.

While the situation in Catalonia is extremely worrying, much of the country is facing similar problems, especially in the south and east.

In mid-March, the reservoirs of the Guadalquivir in the Andalusian basin averaged 26% and those in the southeastern part of the Segura basin 36%.

In Europe, regions such as Catalonia, located on the Mediterranean coast, are particularly vulnerable, according to Miguel Manzanares, a meteorologist who studies extreme weather events in the Old Continent.

“The Mediterranean region is one of the most sensitive regions in terms of climate change. The Mediterranean is a closed sea that creates its own atmospheric environment,” he explains, arguing that countries such as Greece, France and Italy, as well as some of the Balkans, are at high risk.

However, in addition to climate change, there are other anthropogenic factors exacerbating the drought, including a population growth of up to 5.5 million people in the case of Catalonia, as well as extensive use of water – more precisely 80% of total consumption – for agricultural purposes. explains Manzanares.

“The situation is extremely critical. This drought in Catalonia is a marathon. We are on the lookout not only for two years or so, but for three or four years,” says Samuel Reyes of the Catalan Water Agency.

Source: BBC