WATER IN CATALONIA

Catalonia has traditional and alternative sources which guarantee its water. The traditional ones are rivers, aquifers, and reservoirs (which store water and at the same time hold back and prevent floods). But water in Catalonia is not always where it is needed.

92% of the Catalan population is concentrated in large coastal cities. These areas are precisely where there is less water available (40% of the total).

The reservoirs in Catalonia, when full, have water for a year. If it doesn’t rain for 365 days, there may not be enough water for everyone.

The rivers that supply the metropolitan area of Barcelona are Mediterranean, with a small, insufficient flow (the water we have available in Barcelona is 26 times lower than that of Paris or about 300 times less than that of Vienna, for example).

During the summer months, water consumption grows significantly, due to increased demand. This has forced us to undertake EXTREMELY responsible consumption.

In Catalonia we have limited water and, therefore, we must manage it very carefully.

Savings, in our DNA

The population of Catalonia, from 2002 to the present, has internalized rational and sustainable water consumption habits.

In less than 20 years, the public has reduced its daily consumption by about 30 litres. Catalonia is one of the regions in Europe with the lowest water consumption (averaging between 108 and 113 litres per inhabitant per day).

Catalonia is very efficient in terms of domestic water consumption; the average is 113 litres per person per day. In addition, if we talk in terms of cities, Barcelona is a benchmark in Europe, with an average consumption of only 108 litres per person per day. Only the cities of Copenhagen and Brussels have lower consumption.