Spain’s Barcelona faces drought ’emergency’ in September

By JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Authorities in Spain’s parched northeast have warned that Barcelona and a surrounding area that’s home to some 6 million people could face even tighter restrictions of water use in the coming months. The head of Catalonia’s Water Agency said Tuesday that the area would likely be declared a “drought emergency” by September unless forecasts for scant rain prove incorrect. Spain’s government says that the reservoirs serving Barcelona and beyond have shrunk to 27% of capacity. Authorities successfully moved some 13 cubic hectometers of water from Catalonia’s Sau reservoir in recent weeks in an effort to save every last drop.