Portugal and Spain Restricted Water Consumption in Farms Due to Drought
The interim government of Portugal has decided to reduce the amount of water used for irrigation in agricultural areas and in urban areas in the tourist region of the Algarve. This decision was made due to a serious water shortage in the region caused by severe drought and almost completely empty reservoirs. Similar restrictions are also in place in Spain, Reuters reports.
In particular, Portugal's Environment Minister Duarte Cordeiro announced plans to reduce irrigation of agricultural land by an average of 25% compared to last year. In some cases, this figure may even be 50%, depending on the water level in specific reservoirs. Urban consumers, including hotels and golf courses, are also required to reduce their water consumption by 15%.
According to the minister, water levels in the Algarve region's reservoirs are currently the lowest in history.
"The Algarve's reservoirs are at their lowest level ever. If nothing is done to moderate consumption, we will reach the end of 2024 without water for public water supply," explained Duarte Cordeiro.
According to him, the reservoirs on the Portuguese mainland are 73% full on average, with some in the north operating at full capacity due to heavy rains. In the Algarve, they are only 25% full on average, and some are 8-15% full. A year ago, this figure was 45%.
Meanwhile, the authorities of the Spanish region of Catalonia warned this week that new emergency restrictions on the use of water for agricultural purposes (up to 80%) will be imposed as soon as the overall level of reservoirs in the region reaches 16%. Currently, the reservoirs are only 16.2% full. Violators of the restrictions may be punished with fines of up to €3,000.
The Andalusia region in southern Spain also reported possible restrictions on water supply in major cities if there is no significant rainfall by summer. In some cities in the region, the water pressure is already decreasing at night.
It should be noted that a 2022 study indicates that due to climate change, the Iberian Peninsula has become the driest in the last 1200 years.
As a reminder, on 17 November, the Earth's temperature briefly exceeded the critical point beyond which catastrophic and irreversible consequences for the planet and its ecosystems could occur. Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service in Europe, wrote about this on Twitter. According to her, the temperature was 2.06°C higher than in 1850-1900, when people had not yet begun to burn fossil fuels on a large scale, thus changing the Earth's natural climate.