In parts of Spain’s Costa Blanca, including the town of Teulada-Moraira, the tap water has become so salty that it is now undrinkable. This crisis, stemming from severe and prolonged drought, has left residents and tourists scrambling for alternative sources of drinking water. The region’s underground water sources have dwindled due to a lack of rainfall, allowing seawater to infiltrate and contaminate the local water supply.

The drought’s impact has been escalating over the past few months. In March, the Júcar river basin authority declared an “exceptional situation of extraordinary drought” for parts of Alicante, the province encompassing Costa Blanca. The situation has worsened with the arrival of summer, which has heightened water demand due to increased tourist activity and numerous recreational facilities, including around 38,000 swimming pools in the area.

In response to the water contamination, local authorities in Teulada-Moraira, a municipality with a summer population that can swell up to five times its usual size, declared the tap water unfit for consumption in August. One well in the area was found to have salt levels ten times higher than normal. To address the crisis, drinking water tanks have been set up, with residents allowed to collect up to 20 liters of water per week.

Nearby El Poble Nou de Benitatxell has also faced a severe situation, with high salt levels in the tap water. The town’s mayor has advised residents against using the tap water for drinking, cooking, or food preparation. Authorities are distributing free bottled water as a temporary solution, but there is no immediate relief in sight due to the forecasted lack of rain.

The region’s water shortage is compounded by unusual heat and a historic lack of rainfall. José Ángel Núñez Mora, a climatologist with AEMET, the Spanish national weather service, noted that the current drought is unprecedented and linked to human-caused climate change. With extreme weather events becoming more common, Spain and other parts of Europe are grappling with the growing impacts of climate-induced droughts.