The drought that affects (especially) the internal basins of Catalonia (basically, the regions of Barcelona and Girona) is reaching historical records, for example, in scarcity of water resources accumulated in reservoirs. Sau, specifically, is at 6% of its capacity (March 31).
In addition to measures such as savings in consumption, maximum production from desalination plants and reuse of resources, the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) calculates that in order to leave behind the drought situation and recover normality, “it would be necessary for some 500 liters to fall per square meter†in the headwaters of the affected basins; that is, all that rains in a year, on average, in the metropolitan region of Barcelona.
A succession of rains that add up to this volume is unusual in Catalonia, but neither is it impossible, as was demonstrated, for example, in May 2008. At that time, after more than a year without significant rainfall, there were 31 days of almost generalized, with maximums of 132 liters per square meter in Prades on May 10 and 92.4 l/m₂ in Molló on the 25th. It should be understood that that year the miracle proposed to La Moreneta by Minister Francesc Baltasar did not come true, but rather the Catalan saying, Pel maig, cada dia un raig (partly equivalent to the Castilian, Como agua de mayo).
In the spring of 2008, Catalonia was experiencing a drought of historic proportions (although it must be remembered that it was not the first nor, as has been seen, the last), with considerable social, economic and political repercussions.
The scarcity of water resources in the metropolitan area became such that -also in this case it is necessary to refresh our memory- on May 9 the installation of a pipeline was approved to bring water from the Ebro to Barcelona (a connection that ultimately did not was carried out and is now being proposed again as a possible alternative from the Col·legi de l’Enginyeria de Camins, Canals i Ports de Catalunya) and on May 13 the tanker Sichem Defender docked in the port of Barcelona with almost 20,000 cubic meters of drinking water from Tarragona.
The operation on that Panamanian-flagged ship was the first and last maritime transfer that the Catalan capital has received in its history (except for errors or omissions in the review of the annals), and which was about to be suspended because that Tuesday and 13 It was already one of the rainy days of May. In fact, the rains had already made an appearance, sporadically but relatively significantly, since mid-April.
The first days of May increased hope with records such as 4.3 liters per square meter in Bergada’s Santuario de Queralt on day 1 (in Montserrat, the rain was less), 21.6 in Sant Romà d’Abella (Pallars Jussá) on the 5th and the 17th l/mâ‚‚ in La Seu d’Urgell on Thursday the 8th.
But it was from June 9 that a storm from the east – a strong one, although at that time they had no name – distributed water throughout almost all of Catalonia and that day left a maximum of 61.5 l/mâ‚‚ in Mas de Barbreans and 132 l/mâ‚‚ in Prades, according to data from the automatic stations of the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (Meteocat). After 48 hours of almost continuous rainfall, that second weekend in May, more than 170 l/mâ‚‚ accumulated at points along the southern coast and pre-coastal.
In the headwaters of the rivers, the rain was not so copious, but Meteocat highlighted that it was the most important and widespread episode of rain affecting Catalonia since the end of 2006.
The rainfall continued to keep a large part of the Principality company for another three weekends, and almost all of their corresponding weekdays. From the third week of that May, the water that fell in areas of the Pyrenees and pre-Pyrenees took center stage, with maximums such as the 92.4 l/m₂ of Molló on Sunday 25 and the 52.4 l/m₂ registered in that same Camprodón Valley station on Tuesday, June 27.
In the first 26 days of May 2008, in this area in the north of Ripollès the sum of 262 liters of rainwater per square meter was reached. For Catholics who believe in pro-rain prayers, it can also be noted that around those same dates, 268 l/m₂ had been recorded in the Sanctuary of Nuria.
In Barcelona, ​​the rain was noticeable on 14 of the 31 days of the month of May, although the total accumulated maximum did not exceed 90 l/m₂ in stations such as Raval.
On Tuesday, June 3, the Government approved a modification of the decree against the drought, which annulled the prohibitions and fines that affected water uses such as irrigation of gardens, swimming pools and washing vehicles.
That first week of June, only the upper arch and the roof of the bell tower of the church of Sau could be seen emerging from the water, and the set of Ter-Llobregat reservoirs were at 52.8% of their capacity. The 2008 drought was beginning to be history.
