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Pool innovation as Spain tries to keep its cool
Rahul Pathak in Madrid
Europe;Spain
02:00

Spain's 2021 has been a year like no other. 

In addition to the pandemic, Spaniards have also experienced extreme weather – from rare heavy snow to roasting heat. It's left experts concerned, but it's also created new business opportunities.

 

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Summertime in Madrid usually means an exodus to the coast. 

However unlike Barcelona and Valencia, there is no sea in Madrid, so if you're staying in the capital over the summer months you have to cool down any way you can. Swimming pools are popular but with capacity limited, not everyone gets a chance to take a dip.

Six months ago, thanks to Storm Filomena, Spain registered its lowest temperature on record: -35.8 degrees Celsius. This summer, the mercury has gone above 40 degrees Celsius.

These wild swings in temperature are a huge cause of concern, says meteorologist Martin Barreiro.

"This is a major problem right now," he told CGTN Europe. "It affects us today and it's going to get worse in the future if we don't reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. That's the key to this problem."

 

Madrid gets very hot in summer... /CGTN

Madrid gets very hot in summer... /CGTN

...and with no sea to swim in, locals do the best they can. /CGTN

...and with no sea to swim in, locals do the best they can. /CGTN

This winter, Spain suffered its lowest ever temperature... /CGTN

This winter, Spain suffered its lowest ever temperature... /CGTN

...with parts of the country registering -38.5 degrees Celsius. /CGTN

...with parts of the country registering -38.5 degrees Celsius. /CGTN

Not everybody has access to a swimming pool. /CGTN

Not everybody has access to a swimming pool. /CGTN

One company helps people hire unused pools. /CGTN

One company helps people hire unused pools. /CGTN

 

As the climate debate continues, Madrid's residents are looking at ways to stay cool in the summer sun. One start-up, Swimmy, has decided to lend a hand.

It offers people the chance to hire private swimming pools for their use – and so far, the take-up has been impressive.

"Spain has the second-highest number of pools in Europe with over 1.1 million and many of them are closed or the owners don't use them that much," said Swimmy's communication director Estefanía Leyva. "So why not make them available and share them with other people so they can enjoy them?"

With the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Spain, many people have opted to stay in their bubbles with friends or family. So hiring out a nearby swimming pool certainly helps avoid the large public pools in the city. 

Spain has experienced its largest temperature swing in history this year and the government has taken this debate seriously, promising to do more about climate change.

But for now, for the locals at least, it's all about staying cool in the summer sun.

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