The totems of the Baells desert

* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
13 October 2023 Friday 16:50
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The totems of the Baells desert

* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia

The unfortunate and dramatic situation of the Baells reservoir from the town of Cercs, in the Berguedà region, where the drought is very visible in the form of dry trees previously submerged in water and now converted into totems, as seen in Photos from La Vanguardia Readers.

The reservoir is currently at 26% of its capacity, when a year ago it was at 35% and the average for the last 5 years is 77%.

In La Baells, the land gains ground in the water and you can see the cultural heritage in sight, such as the monastery of Sant Salvador de la Vedella. Founded in the year 830 by the monks of San Saturnino de Tavernoles, it is the only building left standing of the ancient town flooded during the construction of the swamp.

In reality, ruins of old houses from some of the three towns that were submerged are visible: Miralles, la Baells and Sant Salvador de la Vedella.

The drought also makes the marks of the lack of water clearly visible on the banks of the reservoir and on the bridge that crosses it. The objective of this reservoir is to regulate the upper basin of the Llobregat River, supply water to the metropolitan area of ​​Barcelona and produce hydroelectric energy.