The emergency measures due to hydrologic drought in the Fluvià-Muga aquifer and in the Riudecanyes swamp come into force this Wednesday, when the Official Journal of the Generalitat of Catalonia (DOGC) has published the resolution of the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) which declares the maximum alert in these areas.
It is a decision announced last week by the director of the ACA, Samuel Reyes, due to the critical situation in which both reserves find themselves.
The emergency affects 22 municipalities in Alt Empordà and two in Baix Camp and involves limiting water consumption to 200 liters per inhabitant per day, among other restrictions beyond urban uses. It is the first time that Catalonia has decreed the state of emergency provided for in the 2020 plan.
The rains in May and June, notorious in some parts of Catalonia but not throughout the territory, have not been enough to prevent 24 municipalities with some 26,000 inhabitants that depend on the Fluvià-Muga aquifer and the Riudecanyes reservoir from entering an emergency. the most worrying scenario of the Government's Special Drought Plan.
The Fluvià-Muga aquifer is located at 14.4 meters above sea level, a historical minimum in records, below the level of 14.5 meters reached in 2009.
The 22 municipalities that pass from exceptionality to emergency, with a population of 24,399 inhabitants, are Agullana, Armentera, Capmany, Espolla, Garriguella, La Jonquera, Masarac, Mollet de Peralada, Palau-saverdera, Pau, Pedret y Marzá, Peralada , San Clemente Sescebes, San Miguel de Fluvià, San Mori, San Pedro Pescador, Torroella de Fluvia, Ventalló, Vilabertran, Viladamat, Vilajuïga and Vilamacolum.
The Riudecanyes reservoir (Baix Camp) is at 6%, with a volume of 0.3 hm3, and an emergency has been declared to guarantee drinking water in the municipalities of Riudecanyes and Duesaigües.
With the entry into emergency, in addition to the limitation to 200l/inhabitant per day in municipal uses, the restrictions also affect agricultural irrigation -only the survival of woody crops can be authorized- or the consumption of the industrial users and also in recreational uses.
The use of water for irrigation of gardens and green areas (public and private) is also prohibited; fill ornamental fountains; artificial lakes; freshwater pools and cleaning any vehicle, except in specific establishments. Local administrations may establish additional limitations on sports facilities and recreational equipment.
Non-compliance with water consumption limits
The ACA advanced the two states of emergency in a press conference last week, in which it also pointed out that only 41% of the municipalities of the Fluvià-Muga aquifer comply with the endowments established by the Drought Plan, while 50 % uses more water than it should and 9% have not provided consumption data.
An example of this overconsumption is found in Peralada, the municipality that uses the most water from the Fluvià-Muga aquifer, 493 liters/inhabitant per day according to June data, while the limit stands at 230 for urban uses in the exceptional phase and it is lowered to 200 in the emergency.
Sanctions, from now on
Until now, the ACA could not fine municipalities that consumed more water than allowed, after the Parliament agreed to a moratorium on sanctions so that municipalities had time to request help to improve water savings.
However, this week the sanctioning regime has entered into force, which cannot be applied, however, retroactively. Thus, it will be with the next consumption data reported by the municipalities when the ACA will be able to open the way to penalize them in the event that they exceed the drought allowances. The ACA has insisted on several occasions that the objective is not to sanction, but to deal with the drought.
Regarding the situation of the Ter-Llobregat system, which supplies the Barcelona metropolitan area and other municipalities, the ACA forecasts had indicated that it could go into emergency at the end of summer, but the rains have allowed this eventual scenario to be delayed in November or December.
