Laurence Dollimore
THE heavy rain at the weekend has done little to recuperate reservoir levels in Malaga province, new figures show.
Despite the heavens opening above the Costa del Sol between Friday and Sunday, less then a cubic hectometre of water was collected in the seven reservoirs spread across Malaga province.
That’s the equivalent of one week’s use of water, said experts speaking to La Opinion de Malaga.
While there were large amounts of rains in some areas, the strong winds meant much of it was carried away from the dams.
On average, the seven reservoirs in Malaga remain below 16% of their capacity, meaning they are still at historic lows.
The situation, therefore, remains critical, particularly as unusually warm weather is predicted for this week across Andalucia, with highs of 25C.
This summer is expected to see the most severe water restrictions for decades unless there is a significant and prolonged period of rainfall in the coming weeks.
The largest reservoir in Malaga, the Concepcion, is only 24% full, gaining just 0.8 hectometres of water in a week, while the La Viñuela reservoir is at just 7.7% capacity.
Elsewhere, the Guadalhorce reservoir is at 13.2%, the Conde de Guadalhorce at 17.76%, El Limonero at 20.37%, Guadalteba at 20.53% and Casasola at 26.8%.
Last week, Andalucia approved a €260m-plus plan to tackle the drought, which could include importing water to the southern coast by ship.
