The innovative challenge of several hotels in Barcelona to combat the drought: four-minute showers

Although significant rains are coming in the coming days in Catalonia, from Barcelona they have been aware of the drought that has been present in our country for months. That is why some hotels have promoted a measure that will help them save the maximum amount of water possible.

There are several hotels (Yurbban Passage, Trafalgar and Ramblas Boutique) that have made this curious practice known, with the installation of hourglasses in the showers with the aim of reducing water time and consumption to 4 minutes. “4 minute shower challenge,” reads one of the signs.

A study by the World Health Organization (WHO) calculates that the average time for a daily shower is 10 minutes, which means spending 200 liters of water. Hence, he suggests cutting this time in half. In reality, showers that last less than 5 minutes are recommended, although only one in ten Spaniards complies with this norm.

And this is the goal: that hotel guests do not take endless showers and this rare commodity is not wasted. And it is estimated that on average tourists multiply by 5 the consumption of water compared to domestic consumption. “With such a small gesture and this easy measure, imagine the number of liters we can save in each of the showers,” Norma Galofré, director of operations for Yurbban Passage told Antena 3 Noticias.

There are other accommodations that have been adopting sustainable measures for some time, such as placing filters in the taps to reduce the flow of water. There are also others that have tanks that filter the water and then reuse it for the cisterns of the toilets themselves.