Faced with the worst drought in decades is located Catalonia consequence of climate change, while the Mediterranean countries are particularly vulnerable, including Greece, according to the BBC report.

A typical example of the situation in Catalonia is the Sau reservoir, which has been supplying water to the city and other cities in the north-eastern region of Catalonia for half a century. In recent months, however, it has the most visible symbol of the worst drought that this area has seen.

The water level has dropped so low – below 10% of the tank’s capacity – that there is already a risk of the water becoming contaminated with silt. The aim of the Spanish authorities is to empty the Sao of both fish and its water, which is transferred as quickly as possible to another reservoir, before its quality falls below the permissible limits.

“We’re trying to move the water as fast as we can, because the quality right now in the winter has been good [αλλά] in the spring it’s going to get really, really bad, and we’re trying to get all the fish out there.” Samuel Reyes, director of the Catalan Water Agency (ACA), told the BBC.

The intensity of the drought that has hit Catalonia is made clear through a spectacle that seems to have tourist interest, before it is decoded. Inside the reservoir, the elegant church of Sant Roma de Sao, built in the 11th century, should normally be covered by water, as it has been since the creation of the dam in 1962. But for the past two and a half years, rain has avoided Catalonia, pouring the water level at 8% of reservoir capacity in early March, down from 55% a year earlier.

While the situation in Catalonia is particularly worrying, much of the country faces similar challenges, particularly in the southern and eastern regions. In mid-March, reservoirs in Andalusia’s Guadalquivir basin averaged 26% of capacity, one unit below inland Catalonia, and in the southeastern Segura basin they were at 36%. This compares to 83% capacity in parts of the North West.

In March, the Spanish meteorological agency AEMET said that the country as a whole “continues in a meteorological drought situation that began more than a year ago.”

Not all droughts are caused by climate change, but increased heat in the atmosphere removes more moisture from the land, exacerbating droughts. The world has warmed by about 1.1 degrees Celsius since the beginning of the industrial age, and temperatures are expected to continue to rise unless there are drastic cuts in emissions.

The Mediterranean countries are at risk, including Greece

In Europe, regions such as Catalonia – which sits on the Mediterranean Sea – are particularly exposed, according to Miguel Manzanares, a meteorologist based in Barcelona who studies extreme weather events on the continent.

“The Mediterranean region is one of the most vulnerable regions in terms of climate change”he said, identifying countries such as France, Italy, Greece and those in the Balkans as high risk. “The Mediterranean Sea is an enclosed sea, which creates its own atmospheric environment”, he added.

However, there are other factors that can make drought worse. In the case of Catalonia, Manzanares said, they include the population of Barcelona and its neighboring cities, which has grown to more than 5.5 million residents. New restrictions introduced by the Catalan regional government have placed strict limits on water use in these areas such as for washing cars and watering gardens, and industrial water use limits have been reduced by 15%.

Spain’s extensive water use for agriculture – accounting for 80% of total water use – is another factor exacerbating the situation. For this reason the local government reduced the use of water for agriculture by 40%.