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In La Vanguardia Readers' Photos we can see this image of Girona with the Onyar River practically without water. It's a sight I've never seen before. It makes you think a lot.
This image, captured after a prolonged period of drought in Catalonia, coincides with the diagnosis just made by the UN, which has confirmed that one in three rivers in the world lost water last year.
That's right, 34% of the planet's hydrographic basins were drier than normal last year and 21% had more water than usual, so that more than half experienced deviations from normal water discharge conditions. We are facing climate change.
That is one of the main conclusions of the second annual edition of the State of the World's Water Resources report, prepared by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a UN agency specialized in weather, climate and water, which has given know these data this week.
The report concludes that the hydrological cycle is becoming unbalanced due to climate change and human activities. In addition, droughts and extreme rainfall are taking "a heavy toll on lives and economies." And melting snow, ice and glaciers have increased flooding and threaten long-term water security for many millions of people.
The Onyar River is a tributary of the Ter River. It is born in the Guilleries massif, in the pre-littoral mountain range, and enters the heart of Girona, forming part of its most characteristic urban landscape.
The Onyar crosses the city from south to north, dividing it into two unequal parts. The largest, the oldest, is on the right bank; and the smallest, the most modern, in continuous growth, is located entirely on the plain and in the Mercadal, on the left bank.
The iconic Onyar Houses, built on the banks of this river, are very close to the Cathedral, and are one of the most photographed icons of Girona.
