ARCHIVED - Barcelona ghost village emerges from reservoir as water dries up

ARCHIVED ARTICLE -

The drought in Spain has resurrected the eerie church tower that was submerged six decades ago

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Barcelona ghost village emerges from reservoir as water dries up

Parts of northern Spain are experiencing the most prolonged and severe drought since the 1970s and despite a good amount of rain at the end of last year, many of the country’s reservoirs are bone dry. As a result of this ongoing drought, an eerie ghost village has reappeared, its ancient church tower and nave now visible inside the reservoir.

San Romà de Sau near the Barcelona town of Vilanova de Sau was flooded in the 1960s and completely submerged when the new reservoir was built, and while the steeple of the church can often be spotted during particularly dry spells, the entire ghostly structure is now on display.

According to the Catalan Water Agency, Barcelona and surrounding areas are experiencing an “exceptional” drought at the moment, with water reserves in the Sau reservoir down to about 9% of capacity.

At the end of March, ski resorts such as Vallter were forced to close early due to the lack of snow on the slopes and hundreds of municipalities in Catalonia have been issued with a hosepipe ban to conserve water.

"We will end the month of March with very little rainfall. From the 1st to the 23rd, the rains were below the normal value for that period. 18 l/m2 fell in the whole of Spain, when the average is 38 l/m2," reported Rubén del Campo, spokesperson for the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).

"And if we broaden the analysis a bit and talk about the hydrological year, a total of 329 l/m2 have been collected in Spain as a whole, 14% less than the average (383 l/m2)," he added.

In February last year, the Alto Lindoso reservoir in Galicia dried up to 15%, revealing buildings, cars and even a fountain that has once been part of the Aceredo village, which was flooded in 1992 to create the dam.

Images: Archive

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