On Friday it was so hot in Madrid that the schools closed. In Barcelona, the city’s famous fountains are empty of water. In Seville, the police have started an investigation after a horse died of heat stroke. It drew tourists around the city in the scorching sun as temperatures neared record highs. On Thursday, a heat record for April was set in Cordoba with 38.8 degrees. A higher temperature has never been measured in mainland Spain this early in the year. The heat wave is in the process of abating somewhat on Sunday, although it will be warmer than normal for the next week as well. The graph from the Spanish weather report Aemet shows that the temperature in recent days has been far above normal for the time of year. Photo: Aemet Three years of drought Although the heat subsides, the drought continues. Spain is in a drought that has lasted three years so far. If the country was dry last year, it is even drier this year. El Pais writes about Tomelloso in the middle of the country. It hasn’t rained there for 134 days. The newspaper calls the city “the epicenter of Spain’s drought”. The result is that there is historically little water in many places. An overview from Aemet shows that in five of Spain’s regions the water supply is below 50 per cent of normal. The worst is in Murcia and Andalucia, where it is down to 27 and 29 percent. In Alcaracejos, the local Sierra Boyera reservoir is empty and residents are being supplied with water by tanker. Photo: Reuters Empty for water North of Cordoba is the Sierra Boyera reservoir. It normally covers an area of 5.3 km². It has a capacity of 39 billion litres, but now it is empty. Completely and utterly empty, figures from the authorities show. The pictures show dried clay at the bottom of the reservoir. Another reservoir in Andalusia is also empty, while ten others are less than 10 percent full. This happens at the time of year when the reservoirs should normally have had a lot of water after the winter rains. A wheat field near Ronda in southern Spain is planted due to the drought. Photo: Reuters Have not planted The result of the drought is that many farmers have given up this year’s crop. In particular, it has affected the grain farmers. They simply stopped plowing the fields and sowed the grain. The Spanish farmers’ association Coag estimated earlier in April that the grain crops in four regions had already been practically lost. – When it’s that hot, the soil dries up right away. And when there is no rainfall, farmers are very dependent on having irrigation, says climate researcher Reidun Gangstø at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. With more than half-empty reservoirs, it is not possible to water heavily. What is left of water must go to people and livestock. – Without irrigation, there are very few opportunities. That it is so hot will have major consequences for agriculture in Spain, says Gangstø. The situation is also critical in the cooler and less drought-affected areas of Spain. In Aragon, in the north of the country, farmers warn that no one will get a normal crop, Heraldo writes. In Perelada in Catalonia on Thursday, residents carried a cross with a Jesus statue on it in a procession while praying for rain. Photo: AP Asking for help Earlier this week, the Spanish government asked for crisis aid from the EU. They are asking for support for the country’s 890,000 agricultural workers. – We are facing an unprecedented situation. Quick action from the EU is necessary, says Spain’s Agriculture Minister Luis Planas, according to Euronews. In some places, faith in the EU is not strong enough. There you also pray to higher powers. In Perelada in Catalonia and elsewhere, residents have held their own religious services and gone in processions praying for rain. Map from the European drought monitoring EDO. Red is the most serious category, while yellow represents the danger of drought. Photo: EDO More in the north, less in the south Isolated heat waves and periods of drought can be due to random weather conditions. But scientists agree that Spain is now aware of climate change. The EU’s research center JRC says that Spain, and particularly southern Spain, is among the most vulnerable to climate change. – We calculate that there will be more precipitation in Northern Europe in the future, and that there will be less precipitation in Southern Europe, says Reidun Gangstø. She explains that it is also getting warmer and as it is already very hot, so there will be a much greater risk of drought and challenges with the heat in southern Europe. – In general, we get more while they get less precipitation, Gangstø sums up. The cycle boats in the Sau reservoir north of Barcelona are left alone. The degree of filling in the reservoir is less than 7 percent. Photo: AP
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Spain runs out of water – farmers give up this year’s crop – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
