The drought that has plagued Catalonia for over three years has severely impacted agriculture. In the Camp de Tarragona region, farmers have watched as the lack of water and high temperatures reduced production, with each harvest yielding less than the last. The drought lasted so long that it depleted the trees of water reserves, and some simply died. "Last year's rains revived the olive, almond, and vineyards, but the hazelnut trees suffered greatly," explains Santi Vives Balcells of Unió de Pagesos (Farmers' Union). Even though these crops are dryland, the recent extreme weather conditions have wreaked havoc. Some farmers, after this ordeal, have decided to uproot their hazelnut trees and are now wondering whether it's worthwhile to switch to another crop or if it's time to abandon farming altogether. "Some are opting for olive trees, others for carob trees, and those who want to continue with hazelnut trees will wait a year or two," explains Martí Macías, water manager for the Unió de Pagesos farmers' union in Tarragonès. This waiting period should allow them to see how the trees develop, the weather patterns, and, above all, how the construction of a water regeneration station at the Reus wastewater treatment plant progresses. This project, being carried out by the Catalan Water Agency, should improve the treatment of the water used by the residents of Reus and, instead of releasing it back into the sea, allow it to be reused for irrigation. This process, long advocated by environmentalists, would allow the reuse of up to 7 cubic hectometers of water each year and would be a significant guarantee for farmers in the Baix Camp region and a portion of Tarragonès.

After three years of severe drought, Catalonia is breathing a sigh of relief. Reservoirs have recovered their levelsRestrictions have been relaxed and the emergency is no longer imminent. The Water Observatory of Catalonia—comprising the professional associations of civil engineers, agricultural engineers, industrial engineers, and economists—welcomes the government's progress in preparing water infrastructure for future emergencies, but on Thursday it reiterated its flagship proposal: the interconnection of water networks on both sides of the country, from the Ebro River to industrial areas and the Muga River, for redistribution. According to its proponents, the Catalan government "is already aware" of this plan. The project, known as the water corridor, is based on creating a flexible, bidirectional network that allows for a rapid response to water emergencies. "It's about having a flexible network, supplying water when needed to the areas that require it," explains Pere Calvet, dean of the College of Civil Engineers (CECCP). In short, this is not a system of fixed water volume transfers, but rather a mechanism for timely and reversible support throughout the territory. In fact, the Observatory prioritizes three actions that should serve as the backbone of the future Catalan water corridor. The connection between the Tarragona Water Consortium (CAT) and the Aigües Ter-Llobregat (ATLL) system is based on an interconnected water corridor model, with a proposed maximum flow rate of 1.5 m³/s. This connection would hinge on the development of the Cunit desalination plant—which would reinforce the supply to the southern part of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area—and reduce dependence on the Ebro River in the Tarragona region. The second proposed connection is what they call the northern branch, which should guarantee the water supply for the Girona, Fluvià, and Muga regions, which are more prone to the effects of future droughts according to projections from the Meteorological Service of Catalonia. In drought episodes, like last year and the year before, the Sau-Susqueda-Pasteral system can reach critically low levels, and there is no alternative source of drinking water. The Observatory's proposal would be to connect these basins with the rest of the Catalan system, ensuring a continuous supply. These two projects would cost around 600 million euros. The organization is optimistic and indicates that once these two axes are consolidated, they will consider leveraging the modernization of the Urgell canal to establish a link with Lleida. This third connection, which they emphasize is still under study, would allow the use of surplus water or irrigation water from Lleida's lands as a strategic emergency reserve for areas of the country at risk of drought. As with the other interconnections, they insist that it would not imply "any permanent water transfer," but rather would be a one-off mechanism to "strengthen water solidarity between territories."

The Baells reservoir is nearly at full capacity and began emptying water this Monday morning. The Berguedá reservoir—one of the largest in the inland basins—has experienced a spectacular rise of 40 points in less than twenty days thanks to the abundant rains in March and is now over 95%. According to sources from the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) who explained to ARA, the floodgates were not opened, but the outflow rate was increased, from 0.6 to 7.5 cubic meters (m³) per second. A scenario unthinkable just a year ago, when we were experiencing the worst of the historic drought and Baells reached rock bottom, with reserves below 19%.

The fact that the reservoir level, on average, is above 50% is good news. Very good. For starters, it guarantees a summer that won't suffer as much as the previous one in most of the country. It's been almost three years, since July 2022, since there was a similar amount of water in the reservoirs. The rains in March have made their mark. But we also know that there is a good depth of accumulated snow in the Pyrenees, which will guarantee more water when the thaw comes, and that forecasts indicate that this spring will be rainy. Yes, we can breathe a sigh of relief, but what we can't do is sleep, thinking that the problem is already solved and we've emerged unscathed.

It's now a reality: reservoirs in the inland basins have reached 50% of their capacity. A figure that had not been reached for almost three years—specifically, 987 days—and which undoubtedly marks a turning point in the fight against drought. The rains of the last few hours and days have given a new boost to reserves that have been growing steadily since the beginning of March, and are seeing the glass half full, accumulating a continuous increase of nearly 18 points and 345 cubic hectometers (hm³) stored. This is great news at the very beginning of the official spring, which all long-term forecasts point to a rainy season.

The rain and snowfall of recent days has kept reservoirs in Catalonia's inland basins at capacity. Reservoirs continue to rise steadily and now exceed 46% of capacity, with more than 320 cubic hectometres (hm³). In just over a week, water levels have risen nearly 14 points, the highest levels recorded since July 2022. Furthermore, rainfall will continue this week, suggesting that reservoirs will reach 50% capacity in the coming days. The current figures are more than triple those of a year ago, when the drought's record low (14.41%) was recorded.

The heavy rains of the last few days have pushed the reservoirs of the internal basins to levels that had not been seen for a long time. Right now they are already over 40%, with nearly 275 cubic hectometres (hm).³), the best data since August 2022. Considering that on Friday - before the heaviest rainfall - they were still below 32%, this is the most sudden rise since the storm Glory January 2020. Or what is the same: in just a few hours we have gained almost three months of additional reserves. The fact that the reservoirs as a whole exceed 40% opens the door for many municipalities to leave the drought alert phase.

Catalonia will avoid returning to a drought emergency in 2025. The forecast for a rainy spring is already coming true this March, with widespread and abundant rainfall, especially in the headwaters of the inland basins. If we add to this the actions planned by the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) to generate more water, this scenario is further from the horizon for the vast majority of the population. Spring arrives this Thursday, March 20, at 10:01 a.m., with reservoirs in the inland basins already overflowing due to rainfall in recent weeks, already exceeding 47%, tripling the figures from just a year ago. All these factors suggest that this year's reserves will remain far below the critical 16% threshold that implies entering a drought emergency.