Historic drought drains crucial Sau Reservoir to a trickle, Spain

Spain’s Catalonia region is experiencing its worst drought on record, with the Sau Reservoir, a crucial water source, severely depleted as seen in March 2024 satellite images. The past three years have marked the driest period since 1914, prompting the Catalan government to declare a drought emergency on February 1, 2024, and impose water consumption restrictions on its residents and businesses.

Northeastern Spain’s Catalonia region is enduring a severe drought, marked by three consecutive years of record low rainfall, impacting its water reserves and agricultural vitality. The situation has escalated to the point where one of Catalonia’s largest reservoirs, the Sau Reservoir, has been significantly depleted, as evidenced by satellite imagery from March 2024.

The Meteorological Service of Catalonia has documented 2023 as the second-driest year in the past 110 years, only surpassed by 2022. This ongoing drought has been declared the worst on record by the meteorological agency, with parts of Catalonia receiving less than half the average rainfall from January to early March 2024, affecting both crops and reservoir levels.

In response, the Catalan government announced a drought emergency on February 1, 2024, introducing water consumption restrictions for the region’s six million residents, along with businesses and agricultural operations. This emergency declaration is invoked when reservoir levels fall below 16%, with the region’s reservoirs reporting an average level of 14% as of March 8, 2024.

The Sau Reservoir is located 80 km (50 miles) from Barcelona. It was created in 1966 as a key water source for Barcelona and surrounding towns. However, the reservoir has seen its water levels drop to 1% of capacity in early March 2024, a stark contrast to its usual 65% capacity around this time of year.

The drought has also revealed historical artifacts, including the structures of the submerged village of Santa Romà de Sau and an 11^th-century church, now visible due to the receding waters.

Catalonia’s worst drought in a century prompts declaration of drought emergency, new water restrictions, Spain

References:

¹ Catalonia’s worst drought in a century prompts declaration of drought emergency, new water restrictions, Spain – The Watchers – February 2, 2024

² Sau Reservoir Dries Up – NASA/EO – March 11, 2024

Featured image credit: USGS/Landsat-8, NASA/EO