FC Barcelona is one of the most decorated soccer clubs in the world and has been at the top alongside Spanish giants Real Madrid CF for decades now. However, recently according to various reports, they may face a challenging issue off the field which has left many soccer fans shocked.
Due to a severe drought that Catalonia is currently experiencing, there are severe water shortages that have not been witnessed in years. Because of this, the area is expected to go into a pre-emergency phase regarding the availability of water in reservoirs beginning end of December 2023.
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A restriction on showering in gyms and other sporting facilities is one of the water conservation measures to be implemented in January 2024. This measure applies to all professional sports organizations, including the well-known football team FC Barcelona. This news sent shockwaves to Barca fans worldwide regarding how they will manage this situation.
Many soccer fans took to social media sites and apps to put forward their views while some also trolled the famous club over it. One fan wrote in the Instagram comments section, “Can Barca not even afford water? Didn’t know their debt was that bad,” regarding the water shortage and Barca’s financial situation which has been very poor over the last 3 years.
FC Barcelona faces an important climatic problem in Catalonia
FC Barcelona faces a huge problem of water shortage due to Spain receiving low rainfall and going into drought. According to various reports, players may need to shower from their homes before and after matches. In an interview with “Chain BE,” David Mascort, the counselor of Climatic Action, Feeding, and Rural Diary, described the impact of this policy on the Barcelona group.
“The Barça consumes water in the Estadi of Montjuïc, in the Ciutat Esportiva and other places. What has to do the Barça is to compensate the water that spends with the irrigation and save with the showers, already was in Montjuïc or in the Ciutat Esportiva”, David said.
Restrictions on sight in Barcelona and Girona. Emergency status is closer every day and 🚨6 MILION PEOPLE🚨 are on the brink of water shortage! @catalangov @accioclimatica @aigua @dmascort @SamReyesCAT @WMO @ECMWF @CopernicusECMWF @carlo_tuitter @NWS @NOAA pic.twitter.com/1WZITlfGLp
— MeteoMauri (@MeteoMauri) November 22, 2023
With reservoirs that supply water to around 6 million people, including Barcelona, the second-biggest city in Spain, only 18% full, Catalonia is experiencing its worst drought on record. In contrast, only 43% of Spain’s reservoirs are now filled. This comes as a major problem for the people of Barcelona as well as the soccer club they admire and support will face major issues in the coming months.
As a result of the decline in water from wells and rivers, Barcelona has already been dependent on the biggest desalination plant in Europe for drinking water as well as a sewage treatment and purification facility. It remains to be seen what happens next in the coming months as the situation does not look good for FC Barcelona and the people of Catalonia.