STORY: Historic drought persists in Spain
SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 11, 2024
DATELINE: Oct. 12, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:06
LOCATION: BARCELONA, Spain
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the drought landscapes in the Spanish regions of Catalonia and Andalusia
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): RUBEN DEL CAMPO, Spokesman for the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet)
3. various of livestock and agricultural landscapes suffering from lack of water in Catalonia
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): RUBEN DEL CAMPO, Spokesman for the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet)
5. various of reservoirs and vineyards suffering from drought in the south of Spain
6. various of people in Barcelona, Spain

STORYLINE:

Most areas in southern and northeastern Spain are grappling with a historic drought, now in its fourth year despite recent storms, the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) reported on Friday.

While the national reservoir capacity averages 48 percent, the southern region of Andalusia and northeastern Catalonia are far worse off, with average capacities at 29 and 27 percent, respectively. Some reservoirs in these regions have reported levels as low as 15 percent.

This week, Andalusia's drought commission imposed a limit on water consumption of 180 liters per inhabitant per day in some areas.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): RUBEN DEL CAMPO, Spokesman for the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet)
"In the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in the southern part of the region of Andalusia, this is the longest-lasting drought on record, meaning no drought has lasted this long since the 1960s."

Andalusia's regional president, Juanma Moreno, has called for increased resources from the European Union to develop infrastructure that enables drought-stricken areas to "maximize and reuse every drop of water," he said during a visit to Brussels this week.

The regional government of Catalonia anticipates an emergency situation in spring 2025 if rainfall this autumn and winter is lower than last year.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): RUBEN DEL CAMPO, Spokesman for the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet)
"In the northeast, in the region of Catalonia, the drought is not the longest-lasting but the most intense. Even though it's rained a little recently, the drought has been remarkable for the scarcity of precipitation."

The Aemet spokesman noted that Spain has always experienced droughts due to its geographical location, but the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirms that rising temperatures from climate change are making droughts more frequent.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Barcelona, Spain.
(XHTV)