After 30 years, the Spanish ghost village is completely above water
The Spanish ghost village of Aceredo, located in the region of Galicia, was completely flooded in 1992 for the construction of the ‘Alto Lindoso’ reservoir on the Limia River, located on the Spanish-Portuguese border. However, due to the ongoing drought in the region, the water level has now fallen sharply, revealing the ghost village once again.
Aceredo has therefore become a real attraction for tourists, who can walk through the streets of the village again after thirty years.
On January 8, 1992, Aceredo was overrun. The Portuguese energy company EDP, also the concession holder of the reservoir, flooded the entire valley for ‘Alto Lindoso’. Currently, however, the reservoir only has 15 percent of its capacity left.
According to María del Carmen Yañez, the mayor of the municipality of Lobios, the situation is due to the severe rain shortage of recent months, especially in January. The “fairly aggressive exploitation” of EDP is also at the root of the problem, says Yañez.
The Portuguese company has called on the mayors of neighboring regions to limit the influx of tourists as much as possible.
Climate change
The ghost village mainly consists of collapsed roofs, car wrecks, and remains of houses and other buildings. “It’s like I’m watching a movie. I feel sad”, said 65-year-old visitor Maximino Pérez Romero. “I have the feeling that this will still happen in the coming years, because of the drought and climate change”, it sounds. Also, José Álvarez, who works in Aceredo as a construction worker “It’s terrible, but it is what it is. That’s life, some die and others live on,” said the man.
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In Spain, there is increasing doubt about the sustainability of water reservoirs. For example, figures from the Ministry of Economy show that the country’s reservoirs have a capacity of just 44 percent, much lower than the average for the last ten years (61 percent). The drought is also expected to worsen in the coming weeks, although there is not yet a general crisis in the country.
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