Water Crisis: Public Management of a Critical Situation

Abstract

The Mediterranean climate, the major climate type of southern European countries, is characterized by hot and dry summers, with periodic drought periods. In this general context, in 2005 and 2007, two important drought episodes took place in Catalonia, Spain.

Within these critical periods, the Catalan Government approved several regulatory measures in order to maintain available water resources, regulate the use of water and preserve the household water supply for as long as possible.

In this regard, one of the public bodies’ main concerns was to guarantee the water supply to the city of Barcelona and the Greater Barcelona area, where 3.5 million people live. This required strong coordination among the Catalan Regional Government, the Metropolitan Entity of Hydraulic Services and Waste Treatment (EMSHTR), together with local governments such as Barcelona City Council.

With the aim of achieving the stated goals, the regulatory measures focused on the application of progressive water restrictions on urban supplies. This was assessed according to the different drought status scenarios as well as on numerous communicative actions and some other measures to preserve the supply and to involve citizens in the fight against water depletion. One of the communicative activities was the “Install me!: Every drop counts” campaign, which involved the free distribution of water-saving devices for taps. This campaign played a crucial role in regards to water savings and behavioural changes.