Catalan cava giant Freixenet is furloughing hundreds of employees due to an ongoing drought

“The situation is very complicated at all levels,” the company said in a statement. If Freixenet has its way, 615 of the 778 people who work for the company in Catalonia will be at home from May, and it is unknown how long that situation will last. The plans have been submitted to the regional government and unions, and the plan “will vary depending on the season and developments.”

The northeastern Spanish region has been struggling with drought for more than three years, and this cannot be seen separately from climate change. Due to the greenhouse effect and global warming, the Mediterranean region is becoming increasingly drier. This has major consequences for wine and olive production.

In May last year, the Spanish government agreed to an unprecedented 2.2 billion euro plan to help farmers and consumers through the drought. This was intended to increase the availability of water and help farmers maintain production and thus prevent food shortages.

But other parts of Spain are also experiencing the consequences: there are more and more large forest fires, and the reservoirs in both Catalonia and Andalusia are at historically low levels.

Empty swimming pool

The battle for available water pits different groups against each other in tourist areas: tourists against residents, and left against right. For example, Andalusia’s conservative government allows hotels to fill their swimming pools, but homeowners must leave the pool empty.

In Catalonia, the left-wing regional government has set a limit on the amount of water that hotels can use. “The tourism sector must adapt to the abnormal situation we find ourselves in,” Patrícia Plaja of the government told the Financial Times.

But households must also pay attention to their water consumption: only a maximum of 200 liters of water per resident may be used per day. The showers on the beach are closed, cars are no longer allowed to be washed, and parties with foam or water games are prohibited.

However, the largest user in Spain, with 79 percent, is the agricultural sector. Residents account for 15 percent of water use, industry for 5.8 percent and only 0.4 percent of the water is used for recreation.