Heavy Easter week rains help alleviate drought in Spain

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - The heaviest Easter week rains in at least 30 years, according to preliminary calculations, have helped alleviate critical droughts in many parts of Spain.

On Monday, Juanma Moreno, the president of Andalusia, said during a speech that his government in the southern Spanish region will no longer have to consider importing water by ship this summer.

While the much-needed rain and snow that affected almost all of Spain over the last week was a boon to the parched earth, it took its toll on drenched tourists during one of the most popular times of year to travel.

During Easter week, solemn believers across Spain partake in parades that see hooded men carrying extremely heavy floats and sculptures as a form of penitence.

But the weather also caused the cancellation of dozens of these religious processions.

While the timing of the rains was not ideal, they did come as an answer to past prayers. The faithful in Spain have been holding rites to pray to God for rain in recent months.

“Although hope did not fill the streets of many Andalusian cities this week, it was received by the countryside, the olive groves, the wheat fields and reservoirs,” said the president of Andalusia, even recalling how he publicly said he hoped it rained “for real and not just four drops” on Palm Sunday.

And as the tourists have begun to go home, the positive impact of the precipitation is now really being seen.

For instance, the drought-stricken Guadalquivir basin in Andalusia was less than 30% full in mid-March. Now, the reservoirs are around 43% full.

Moreno added that around 80,000 citizens in the province of Cadiz who have been coping with water cuts may also now see service restored to 24 hours per day.

Catalonia, which is currently under a drought emergency, did not see such powerful rains, but the Easter showers bolstered water reserves there too.

According to Catalan government statistics, reservoirs are now 16.35% full. That is up from the low of 14% earlier in March and just above the threshold for a drought emergency, which is defined as anything below 16%.

But the Catalan government has a four-month window to lift the state of emergency. Last week, David Mascort, Catalonia's minister for climate action, told local daily El Periodico that the restrictions would only be lifted if the stored volume “significantly exceeds the 16% threshold.”

In Catalonia, around 6 million people are under restrictions due to the historic drought. There, officials have also been debating the need to bring in water by boat this summer.