Today I went on a tour of the Spanish countryside. It was sweltering. And we walked and walked and walked without stopping for a long time. But I was surprised to find that the heat didn’t bother me so much. Not when we were surrounded by olive trees and growing things all around us. Even though I know they’ve adapted to survive in this environment, it still surprised me that they were there, that they were able to grow under such harsh circumstances. How could they find water in a place like this? 

I didn’t have to wonder for long. Our guide led us to a river from which the plants could gather water. Except that the river was nearly dry, and it shouldn’t have been at this time of year. Here was where the city of Córdoba used to get its water. Older people who remember those days travel to drink from the river. It’s something nostalgic, the guide explained. Most people don’t get water from the river anymore. 

Which got me thinking, where do they get their water here? In recent years the answer to this question has changed rapidly. There used to be a series of rivers and water basins that had quenched the thirst of Córdoba’s citizens for years. It’s a recent past that has evaporated. Quickly. Now the drought has been classified an emergency. And fresh water is being shipped in by truck, but it is never enough. According to the Spanish Ecological Transition ministry, the country’s water reserves are at 50 percent of their normal capacity. Where will they be in a decade? Will this nation be a desert? I see rivers running empty of all but the memory of what was. It is a terrible vision.