The government of Barcelona, Spain, announced today, Thursday, a state of maximum emergency due to the drought affecting the city and its surroundings. As a result of this emergency declaration, the authorities of Barcelona will implement a set of measures to mitigate the worst drought the city has ever experienced. Among these measures, residents of Barcelona will be prohibited from washing their cars and filling empty swimming pools, according to Reuters. Additionally, residents will be required to reduce their water usage by 5%, while farmers will face reductions of up to 80%.
Under the first set of measures, which may be tightened later if the situation does not improve, the permitted water usage will be reduced to 200 liters from the previous 210 liters per person per day in Barcelona. These measures will impact around 200 villages, towns, and cities, including Barcelona, affecting approximately 6 million people. They have been adopted after reservoir levels dropped to nearly 16% of capacity.
