Spain faces springtime water crisis

DW (English)

In parts of Spain, the water level in reservoirs is already dangerously low for this time of year. Farmers fearing for their crops and livestock hope politicians will act quickly. But they've been told the necessary funds aren't available.

Transcript

00:00 These fields are green because it recently rained here a bit.

00:06 But Tony Quintana says it wasn't nearly enough.

00:11 The farmer from Figueras cultivates alfalfa as fodder for his cows.

00:17 He says he's never experienced such a drought.

00:22 The plants ought to be coming up to our knees at this point.

00:26 But they barely grew in February because there wasn't enough rain.

00:32 The Spanish region of Catalonia has declared a state of emergency because of the drought.

00:41 Water reserve levels have fallen below 16%.

00:45 Drastic water restrictions are already imposed, and summer has not even begun yet.

00:52 This canal used to bring water to Tony Quintana's fields.

00:56 He doubts that will ever happen again.

01:00 It's practically impossible.

01:05 Only God can help us. Hopefully he will.

01:09 Otherwise there's going to be a fight here.

01:12 There's no life without water.

01:16 For now, the cows can still feed on the reserves, but stocks are running out.

01:22 Tony Quintana and his nephew Ferran have to make tough decisions.

01:28 We now have to buy what we can't produce,

01:33 because the crops in the fields won't grow properly without water.

01:42 We don't know how it's going to pan out, whether we'll have enough water for our animals,

01:47 so we're being careful with our investments.

01:51 Drought relief measures are putting a strain on the regional government's budget,

01:56 and Catalonia has called an early election after an initial budget proposal failed to pass.

02:02 Tony Quintana is not optimistic.

02:08 We make up just one percent of the electorate.

02:12 Tourism is much more important, because there's more money in it.

02:18 I always say that it's not politicians who rule here, it's money.

02:24 Just a few kilometers further lies Rosas, on the Costa Brava.

02:32 The tourism sector here is preparing for the summer.

02:36 Water consumption increases as visitor numbers rise.

02:40 Marta Sanés runs a restaurant and says that politicians reacted too late to the drought.

02:46 We should have had new desalination plants by now.

02:50 They are planned, but I don't think they'll come this summer.

02:54 Maybe next year, with a bit of luck.

02:58 The minister in charge says the Catalonia government

03:01 does not have enough funds to solve the water crisis alone.

03:06 We have cooperation projects with other regions

03:13 suffering from the climate crisis in the Mediterranean.

03:18 We want to raise water policy to a higher level, a European one.

03:24 We must understand we can only solve this together.

03:29 The future of Europe also depends on the future of the Mediterranean.

03:35 Waiting for EU support isn't an option for Tony Quintana and his nephew.

03:41 They worry about their animals and the ongoing drought,

03:44 and have asked themselves whether they should continue at all.

03:50 It would be easy to say we quit, but to really give up the farm would hurt.

03:57 My parents' whole life is in it, and mine.

04:00 And now also my nephew's.

04:04 So somehow it's still worth carrying on.

04:09 For now, he'll keep hoping for more rain.

04:13 There is still snow on the nearby Pyrenees,

04:16 and when that melts, there will be some water for his fields.

04:21 (thunder rumbling)

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