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Ruins of submerged town resurface in northeast Spain because of drought

EMILIO MORENATTI

Water levels are now at 9 per cent of total capacity, according to data from the Catalan Water Agency, exposing a long-submerged church for all to see

The medieval church of Sant Roma disappeared from view in the 1960s, when the town of Vilanova de Sau, an hour north of Barcelona, was flooded to create a reservoir.

But today the church’s tower, its nave and the building’s foundations are all exposed. The bare, steep ridges of the Sau reservoir show how far its levels have receded, and the cracked earth around the remaining pool of water is trodden by tourists attracted by the ghost village’s reappearance.

Drought in Spain’s northeast reached “exceptional” levels last month. The Sau reservoir’s water levels now stand at 9 per cent of total capacity, according to Catalan Water Agency data. The remaining water in the basin is being diverted to another, fuller reservoir nearby to stop its quality deteriorating to the point of becoming undrinkable.

In Catalonia, average reservoir levels hover around 27 per cent of their capacity. There are restrictions on agricultural and industrial water use, and it is forbidden to use drinking water for washing cars or filling swimming pools.

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2023-03-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

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