Perhaps it may not seem like a pertinent measure to hoteliers, but it would surely come to alleviate this pressing drought. We have to turn off the tap of the Canaletes fountain. This is a much more worthy remedy than tapping visitors' cell phones. “If you drink water from the Canaletes fountain. And a few statistics indicate that during the last ten years or so, half of the tourists who came to Barcelona had already visited the city.
Sources from Barcelona City Council, however, state that the fountains arranged in public spaces and intended for drinking are considered an essential good for citizens. “We keep them all open – these City Hall sources abound. Some may be closed, but it will always be due to a breakdown or an impact resulting from works. At this time, no restrictions are contemplated in this regard.” Barcelona has more or less 1,725 drinking fountains. The one located at the bottom of the Rambla has remained closed for weeks because the reform of the promenade began precisely there. City Hall sources detail that if the state of emergency worsens and the restrictions also affect domestic consumption, we could see the pressure of its jet reduced.
Meanwhile, tourists continue to take photographs next to the Canaletes fountain. Asked if they knew the situation in the country before coming, they all responded that they had no idea, and also that they would have come to the city anyway if they were aware. And some even take a step back, just in case, because although no one remembers the recent information from The Washington Post, The Guardian, Le Monde, Der Spiegel and La Stampa about the Generalitat's emergency declaration, everyone is very aware. so much so that in this city at any moment they swipe at your cell phone with a smile.
In any case, climate problems no longer go to neighborhoods. Much of the planet is suffering the consequences of environmental change. Californians Malcom and Una happily say that these days they are staying in an apartment they found through Airbnb, that no one told them that Barcelona is in such a pressing situation, that they found out what is happening because they saw a sign in English placed by the Generalitat in a subway corridor that asks visitors to save water. “We are Californians, and we are very accustomed to the lack of rain and also to supply restrictions.” The Americans didn't know anything about the Canaletes legend either, and as soon as it was explained to them they had a good drink. “The truth is that we were already in Barcelona on another occasion, and then we did not drink from this fountain, but we liked everything so much…” And the most likely thing is that one day they will return again, unless these days they get caught on their cell phone.
“Of course I knew there was a drought, I'm from Seville! –Says one while his friends take a photograph next to the fountain–. We have been suffering from this situation for a long time. We haven't just turned on the tap for a long time! In the city it is more bearable, but in many towns it is dramatic.” “But, come on, in the hotel we had to put up a little sign that we made ourselves to ask that our towels not be changed,” says a woman. “Yes, well, because they told us that if we want our towels changed we should leave them on the floor, and if we don't want them changed we should leave them hanging, but then they always change them for you! and it's not a plan, no..." “Come on,” says the person taking the photos, “to take photos you don't have to be in the gutter all the time.”
Most tourists who come to the fountain report similar vicissitudes in relation to hotel towels. Apparently they also change the sheets systematically. However, the debate on the sustainability of Barcelona's tourism industry that reaches such high voltage on the networks hardly attracts the attention of the parishioners who sit for a while on the benches at the top of the promenade. Most prefer to talk about the people who go to the fountain to wash their feet and position themselves over those who leave small bowls so that pigeons and other animals can drink. Better, the truth. The most critical moments of the previous great drought derived from the confrontations between the different economic sectors over how the burden of the restrictions should be distributed.
