Barcelona forced to import emergency water

[muriel_volestrangler]

The tanker Sichem Defender arrived at the port of Barcelona yesterday carrying something far more precious than its usual cargo of chemicals.

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.

Nationally, reservoirs are around half full with the worst of the summer heat just a few weeks away.

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