00:00 These fields are green because it recently rained here a bit.
00:06 But Tony Quintana says it wasn't nearly enough.
00:11 The farmer from Figueras cultivates alfalfa as fodder for his cows.
00:17 He says he's never experienced such a drought.
00:22 The plants ought to be coming up to our knees at this point.
00:26 But they barely grew in February because there wasn't enough rain.
00:32 The Spanish region of Catalonia has declared a state of emergency because of the drought.
00:41 Water reserve levels have fallen below 16%.
00:45 Drastic water restrictions are already imposed, and summer has not even begun yet.
00:52 This canal used to bring water to Tony Quintana's fields.
00:56 He doubts that will ever happen again.
01:00 It's practically impossible.
01:05 Only God can help us. Hopefully he will.
01:09 Otherwise there's going to be a fight here.
01:12 There's no life without water.
01:16 For now, the cows can still feed on the reserves, but stocks are running out.
01:22 Tony Quintana and his nephew Ferran have to make tough decisions.
01:28 We now have to buy what we can't produce,
01:33 because the crops in the fields won't grow properly without water.
01:42 We don't know how it's going to pan out, whether we'll have enough water for our animals,
01:47 so we're being careful with our investments.
01:51 Drought relief measures are putting a strain on the regional government's budget,
01:56 and Catalonia has called an early election after an initial budget proposal failed to pass.
02:02 Tony Quintana is not optimistic.
02:08 We make up just one percent of the electorate.
02:12 Tourism is much more important, because there's more money in it.
02:18 I always say that it's not politicians who rule here, it's money.
02:24 Just a few kilometers further lies Rosas, on the Costa Brava.
02:32 The tourism sector here is preparing for the summer.
02:36 Water consumption increases as visitor numbers rise.
02:40 Marta Sanés runs a restaurant and says that politicians reacted too late to the drought.
02:46 We should have had new desalination plants by now.
02:50 They are planned, but I don't think they'll come this summer.
02:54 Maybe next year, with a bit of luck.
02:58 The minister in charge says the Catalonia government
03:01 does not have enough funds to solve the water crisis alone.
03:06 We have cooperation projects with other regions
03:13 suffering from the climate crisis in the Mediterranean.
03:18 We want to raise water policy to a higher level, a European one.
03:24 We must understand we can only solve this together.
03:29 The future of Europe also depends on the future of the Mediterranean.
03:35 Waiting for EU support isn't an option for Tony Quintana and his nephew.
03:41 They worry about their animals and the ongoing drought,
03:44 and have asked themselves whether they should continue at all.
03:50 It would be easy to say we quit, but to really give up the farm would hurt.
03:57 My parents' whole life is in it, and mine.
04:00 And now also my nephew's.
04:04 So somehow it's still worth carrying on.
04:09 For now, he'll keep hoping for more rain.
04:13 There is still snow on the nearby Pyrenees,
04:16 and when that melts, there will be some water for his fields.
04:21 (thunder rumbling)
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