Residents of Catalonia in northeastern Spain will be banned from washing their cars and filling up empty swimming pools under a raft of measures announced on Thursday to alleviate the region's worst drought on record.

The head of the regional government of Catalonia, Pere Aragones, announced a drought emergency after reservoirs in the Mediterranean region fell below 16% of capacity.

"Catalonia is suffering the worst drought in the last century, we have never faced such a long and intense drought since rainfall records began," Aragones told a news conference."

The measures will affect around 6 million people in 200 villages, towns and cities, including the regional capital Barcelona, Spain's second-biggest city.

What do the emergency measures entail?

Under the emergency rules, local authorities want residents to cut their domestic water usage by 5% from 210 liters to 200 liters per person per day (55 to 52 gallons).

Farmers have been ordered to cut agricultural water usage by up to 80%.

But while Barcelona's population has yet to feel the drought's impact thus far beyond not being able to fill up private pools and wash cars, thousands of people living in small communities that depend on wells have been experiencing difficulties for months.

Gualba, a village of some 1,500 residents an hour's drive north of Barcelona, has been without drinking water since December, when the local reservoir fell so low that water became undrinkable and only good for washing clothes and dishes.

Most residents have to drive to another town to buy bottled water.

Warnings of climate change

The Iberian Peninsula is at its driest in 1,200 years, according to a 2022 study, forcing officials in Catalonia to consider bringing in water by ship to Barcelona should it run dry.

This measure was also adopted in 2008 when reservoir levels sank to close to 20% and fewer desalination plants were operating.

"I don't think we are aware of what is in store for all of us," one resident by the name of Joan Torrent told the Associated Press, referring to climate change. "People don't want to hear about there being a lack of water. In my view, people need to be more conscious about the lack of water."

"We have always had abundant water," said Jordi Esmaindia, deputy mayor of Gualba. "Nobody imagined we would be like this."

mf/rt (AFP, Reuters, AP)