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The Sau reservoir, in the Osona region, has reached minimum water levels never seen before, which is attracting all eyes and is causing the ruins of the ancient town to emerge, as we can see in this tour in Photos of the Readers of La Vanguardia.
The Sau reservoir, located in the municipality of Vilanova de Sau, is at the foot of the Guilleries massif. It is part of a system of three reservoirs, along with those of Susqueda and Pasteral, which unites the counties of Osona and La Selva.
The reservoir, inaugurated in 1962, covered the town of Sant Romà de Sau, the remains of which, especially the temple’s bell tower, are visible when the water level is low, as at the moment.
In a way, the drought is as if it had turned the Sau reservoir into an archaeological site. And the low level of the swamp has exposed more and more vestiges of the town previously submerged under the waters.
The Sau reservoir is currently at 3.72% of its capacity, when the average of the last five years tells us that it should be at 106% and that of the last 10 years, at 104%. A year ago it was at 17%. Therefore, the tragedy of the persistent drought becomes more evident than ever.
It is not only that the interior of the church of Sant Romà de Sau can be seen, although the access is fenced due to the danger it entails, but that other remains of the old town have remained on the surface as testimony of a past that was submerged. in the swamp.
Today, the image of the old mill stands out, which, with its towers, looks more like a castle, as well as the remains of the cemetery and the most emblematic houses of the old town.
The cracked earth has replaced the water and images such as the canoes abandoned in the dust of a drought that does not seem to give us respite are overwhelming.
