Opinion | Editorials
Rain in Spain does not fall on plain
It is the first time an EU country has imported water due to drought.
- Gulf News
- Published: 00:33 May 15, 2008
That Barcelona is importing water to compensate for supply shortages comes as a shock to Spaniards and the European community. It is the first time an EU country has resorted to such measures, but it probably will not be the last.
Spain is suffering its driest season in the 60 years that records have been kept. The result is that reservoirs have all but dried up.
The reservoir in the mountains above Barcelona is only 18 per cent full and will take many months of rain to restore it to its previous level. Barcelona will import 12 tankers of water over the next month, but this will go only part way to meeting demand.
Surely there is enough proof to support the theory of global climate change with the droughts in Spain, the water shortages in Europe and other continents. Yet water conservation is furthest away from most people's minds.
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