Barcelona forced to import emergency water

[Robbien]

Source: The Guardian

Nearly 23m litres of drinking water - enough for 180,000 people for a day - was the first delivery in an unprecedented emergency plan to help this parched corner of Spain ahead of the holiday season.

As the country suffers its worst drought since records began 60 years ago, Catalonia, of which Barcelona is the capital, has been the worst-hit region. After months without adequate rainfall its reservoirs are down to just over a quarter of normal capacity. A year ago they stood at almost double that.

If levels drop to 15% of normal supply the water in the reservoirs is no longer deemed fit for drinking and restrictions on tap water would have to be brought in.

The tanker, which arrived in Barcelona from nearby Tarragona, will be followed by its sister ship Contester Defender tomorrow from Marseille. At a cost of €22m (£17.5m), six shiploads are to arrive each month for three months, from Tarragona in southern Catalonia, Marseille and Almeria - one of the driest areas of southern Spain.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/14/spain.water

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The article further states that Spain is building desalination plants. They have completed six so far and plan a further 18.

[cyclezealot]

1. Sounds like they have it worse than

Califronia.

[Earth_First]

2. It's only the tip of the [disappearing] iceberg. n/t

[sofa king]

3. I hope those are solar desalination plants.

And I hope the solid waste is stored somewhere where it can't roll back into the sea. No point in wasting one's time with half measures when confronted with a shortage as basic as this.