Galicia faces severe water scarcity and drought alerts

Galicia is facing severe water stress due to a prolonged lack of summer rainfall, despite having experienced its rainiest winter in 25 years. Supply reservoirs in the Galicia-Costa area are currently at approximately 58% capacity, which is 11 percentage points lower than the same period last year.

The Xunta de Galicia has issued alerts for water scarcity in the Lérez and Anllóns river systems, as well as the Baiona subsystem. Pre-alerts for moderate scarcity have been extended to the Ferrol territory and the Zamáns subsystem in Vigo. Additionally, the Miño-Sil Hydrographic Confederation has entered a pre-alert phase for prolonged drought following a reduction in river flows of more than 45% during the summer.

In response, the Xunta de Galicia has launched a public awareness campaign titled ‘Se chove, que chova! Pero, e se non chove?’ to encourage water conservation. Recommended household measures include watering plants at dawn or dusk, using showers instead of baths, and ensuring appliances are fully loaded to protect regional water resources.