Citizens living in the eastern Spanish region of Catalonia will not be allowed to wash their vehicles or refill their drained swimming pools due to a series of actions declared on Thursday in order to ease the area’s most severe drought ever recorded.

Around 200 villages, towns, and cities, including Barcelona, will be impacted by the measures. Approximately six million individuals will be affected. These measures were implemented due to reservoir levels dropping to nearly 16% of their total capacity.

A study conducted in 2022 revealed that the Iberian peninsula is currently experiencing its driest period in 1,200 years. As a result, officials in Catalonia are contemplating the possibility of importing water by ship to Barcelona if the city’s water reserves are depleted. This measure was previously implemented in 2008 when reservoir levels were critically low at around 20%, and there were fewer desalination plants in operation.

The local authorities are encouraging citizens to decrease their water consumption by 5%, while farmers are expected to reduce theirs by up to 80%. Initially, the proposed measures will limit water usage to 200 liters per person per day in Catalonia, with the possibility of stricter regulations if conditions do not improve.