Drought ignites Spain's 'water war'

There is a common saying in Spain that during a drought, the trees chase after the dogs. Now it is ringing true as the country struggles to deal with the worst drought since the Forties: reservoirs stand at 46 per cent of capacity and rainfall over the past 18 months has been 40 per cent below average.

But months before the scorching summer sun threatens to reduce supplies to a trickle, a bitter political battle is raging over how to manage Spain's scarcest resource - water.

Catalonia, in the parched north east, has been worst affected, with reservoirs standing at just a fifth of capacity.

Faced with the prospect of having to cut supplies, authorities in Barcelona have brought in hitherto unheard of fines of €30 (£23.50) for watering gardens or €3,000 for filling swimming pools over 300 square metres.

Municipal fountains, some lit up at night for tourists, are empty. Beach showers have been turned off.

In an emergency measure, the Catalan regional government is planning to ship in water from one of Spain's driest regions, Almería in the south east, and from Marseille in France. It may bring in more water by train.

The crisis has forced the fiercely nationalist Catalans, who like to see themselves as separate from Spaniards, into a humiliating plea to Madrid. Uttering a phrase which must have stuck in his throat, José Montilla, Socialist president of the Catalan regional government, reminded central government: 'Catalonia is also part of Spain.'

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