The Government eases drought restrictions and the Alt Empordà emerges from the emergency situation.

BarcelonaThe last few days of rain have been like "oil in a lamp." These are the words of Silvia Paneque, spokesperson and Minister of Territory, who announced this Tuesday the relaxation of water restrictions in ten of the 18 exploitation units established by the Sequera Plan. Thus, and with reserves in the internal basins At around 46.3%, the Alt Empordà—the area hardest hit by the drought—has emerged from the emergency phase: the Catalan government has decreed the Darnius-Boadella reservoir to be moved from emergency to alert, and the Fluvià-Muga aquifer to be moved from emergency to exceptional. Furthermore, the Riudecanyes reservoir in Tarragona will move from emergency to pre-alert.

"This is good news, but it would be a mistake to hype up the idea that we have a definitive solution to these rains. We must continue working on the water cycle infrastructure," said the regional minister at a press conference. With these changes, approved by the Permanent Drought Committee of the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) this Monday, 50% of the reservoirs are now back to normal.

For the time being, however, there are no changes to the Ter-Llobregat system, which supplies the vast majority of the Catalan population and will remain in the alert phase. In fact, Paneque noted that it is far from the 60 percent required to leave that level (it is at 47.6 percent), and noted that it will be necessary to monitor the performance of April, which is expected to be wetter than usual.

"We are at the beginning of a process of easing restrictions due to drought. We are now making some initial decisions and hope to make further decisions in the coming weeks while awaiting the evolution of rainfall," Paneque explained. However, the government rules out abrupt changes, as it wants to be certain that the data will allow the new states to be maintained for at least five or six months.

In this regard, the councilor said, the revision of levels will take into account not only the level of water in the reservoirs, but also the forecasts, in order to avoid constant inflows and outflows from the different phases. The objective is for affected sectors and municipalities to be able to adapt to them without having to review water-saving measures every few weeks. The modifications will become effective when published in the Official Journal of the Generalitat of Catalonia (DOGC) the Agency's resolution, expected next week.

Thanks to the people and sectors

Paneque also took the opportunity to express her gratitude for the public's consumption behavior, which has demonstrated its "full responsibility." The regional minister emphasized that, at this time, average consumption in Catalonia is lower, with many units on alert, than in other exceptional and emergency situations. She also addressed the industrial sector, farmers and ranchers, and the tourism sector, asking them to accept the restrictions imposed over the past three years. "The Catalan farmers have behaved in an exemplary manner. We in the Catalan government are very aware of the difficulties they have faced," she concluded.

With Tuesday's decision, there are also changes in the areas that depend on rainfall, not reservoirs. The Anoia-Gaià, the headwaters of the Ter, the Llobregat Mitjà, and Prades-Llaberia will move from the alert phase to the normal phase. The Transversal Mountain Range and the Empordà region will move from exceptional status to alert status due to improved rainfall indicators. The easing of the drought has also been felt in the Carme-Capellades aquifer, which will return to normal levels.