Spain faces worst drought in years
SUMMARY
This image is the best illustration of the drought that affects most of Spain since spring and has been accentuated in a warm autumn beginning and without rain. Water reserves have fallen to 38.9% of the total capacity of the reservoirs, a record only surpassed by the low during the period of drought between 1992 and 1995 (the reserves fell to 26.4%).
One of the most affected areas is Galicia.
It is the consequence of having suffered "the driest year in history", with rains 40% "below the average," according to the president of the Hydrographic Confederation of the Miño-Sil, Francisco Marín. The restrictions will not affect urban supply now, but city councils should focus their attention on the use of water in sources and other ornamental elements, as well as penalize their waste.
Castile and León is the other most affected community. The basins of the Douro and the Tagus are 32.2% and 40.8%, respectively. The main affectation occurs in agriculture, with 70% of the cereal crop lost.
Other affected basins are those of the Júcar (26%) and Segura (14.3%). The Guadalquivir (32.3%) is below minimum, the Ebro basin has crossed the reserve threshold below half the capacity (44.2%). In contrast, reservoirs of the internal basins, with 56.9%, save Catalonia from scarcity.
The situation is due to a hydrological year in which it rained little, but above all, badly. The national average value of precipitation accumulated from 1 October to 26 September is 550 mm, 14% less than the normal value for this period (628.3 mm).
It would not be a very negative medium if it were not because most of the fall rainfall has done it in a torrential way. Almost everything went to the sea in the form of floods. Water that is worthless and destroys infrastructure. Drought will begin to be the subject of political debate.
VOCABULARY
Drought: sequera
Rainfall: precipitacions
Torrential way: manera torrencial
Worthless: sense valor
OPINION
In Catalonia, the rainfall regime is characterized by a great general irregularity and a high interannual variability, due to the typical Mediterranean climate, which makes us particularly vulnerable to drought episodes, especially in the internal basins. However, to prevent drought, we must monitor not to exceed the use of water. Since lately the weather has changed and exactly in 2017 we have seen that precipitation has been little respect in recent years and, in the event that rain has rained, it has been abundant and in a few days. This directly affects the agriculture and livestock sector.
Regarding the consequences caused by drought we must make a change of chip and manage what we have, which in this case is the water.
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