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Date Published: 01/08/2023

One in three Malaga municipalities subjected to water restrictions

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Malaga’s reservoirs are now at around half the capacity of a year ago

One in three Malaga municipalities subjected to water restrictions

The province of Malaga has sweltered into August off the back of several heatwaves with its reservoirs at just 27% of their capacity. The seven dams in the area total around 165 cubic hectometres of water, which is almost half of the nearly 300 they stored this time last year.

In a desperate attempt to guarantee supply during the remainder of the summer, water restrictions and even outright cuts have been extended, now affecting one in three municipalities.

Without doubt the worst affected region is Axarquia, which is fed by the critically low La Viñuela reservoir. According to the latest data published by the Hidrosur network of the Junta de Andalucía, it is already down to 8.8% of capacity, with just 14 cubic hectometres of water stored at the moment.

As of June, seven towns have been forced to prohibit or at least reduce the use of water for washing streets, watering parks and gardens, supplying fountains, washing cars and refilling swimming pools.

In addition, in Rincón de la Victoria, Algarrobo, Vélez-Málaga and Torrox, municipalities on the Axarquia coast, beach showers have been switched off.

But there are municipalities in Malaga that have gone much further and have decided to establish supply cuts to the population, especially at night.

Casabermeja

Water cuts which have been in place for two months in the town of Casabermeja have now been extended to the hours of 1.30pm through to 8am the following day, while the supply is turned off at 2pm in the centre.

The situation is more drastic in rural areas, which only receive water for about six hours a week. In Los Mellizos and Arroyo Carniceros there are water cuts every other day.

Colmenar

Ten kilometres away in the neighbouring town of Colmenar, supply problems have also led to water cuts in rural districts, which are topped up by tanker trucks.

Water cuts in Axarquia

In the Axarquía region, municipalities such as Almáchar, Benarmargosa, El Borge, Iznate, Moclinejo, Periana and Vélez-Málaga have implemented water cuts this summer, mainly in urban and more remote areas.

In Periana, the restrictions began last week between the hours of 10.30pm and 7am "as a consequence of the prolonged drought, the scarcity of water resources in the supply area of the Sondeo Guaro and to guarantee the supply in the following months."

In the capital of Vélez-Málaga, where restrictions were also implemented last summer, the cuts are between 11pm and 7am most nights in the worst affected areas. The City Council hasn’t rule out having to extend this schedule in the coming weeks.

In Benamargosa, the water supply has been cut from 9pm to 9am for the foreseeable future.

In El Borge the supply cut runs between midnight and 7am. However, in

Almáchar, the water remains off throughout the day except for Thursdays, when it is switched on from 7am in order to guarantee water in the urban centre.

In Iznate, the water supply has been cut off for the last month between 10pm and 10am and the stoppage begins at midnight in the entire municipal area of Moclinejo until 6.30am.

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