Laurence Dollimore
THE Axarquia economy is under serious threat from a lack of rainfall.
According to local farmers, water levels have reached a record low, leading to clashes with the authorities who are seeking to limit water use.
Measures to resolve the water woes have included using recycled water and improving infrastructure, but they have done little to help the area, which is renowned for growing avocados, mangos and olives.
Almuñecar’s mayor Trinidad Herrera Lorente has said the Rio Verde will soon ‘die of thirst’, and has slammed emergency measures promised by the Junta for taking too long to arrive.
The Junta are now considering constructing dams in the Chillar, Algorrobo and Torrox rivers.
A big part of the problem, infrastructure aside, is the type of crops that farmers now grow. Cash-rich crops like mangoes and avocados are very water thirsty and farmers are moving away from olives. Infrastructure wise, Spain does not have a clue. It took loads of EU money to build aquifers and then wasted the funds, leaving most half-built or not built at all. Any expat who has lived here more then a decade will have noticed how their land is changing. Large trees and shrubs are dying back as the area becomes more desertified, leaving only the high altitude areas which greenery. Spain can’t even elect a government, so what chance is there of solving a water crisis?