Walter Finch
THE ban on filling private swimming pools returns to Malaga as the province’s reservoirs once again slip below 100,000,000,000 litres
Drought committees are set to meet this week where it is thought water allocations are likely to be reduced from the current 200 litres per person per day.
This comes at the end of a year that has seen alarmingly low rainfall, even worse than the previous year. Temporary allowances granted earlier this year—following brief but heavy March rains—permitted some pool filling and limited garden watering from June 1.
But as of today, those allowances have been stopped.
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The College of Property Managers has already informed its members of the impending changes and urged them to prepare for stricter water usage regulations.
“The use of water resources suitable for human consumption is prohibited for the following uses: street washing, filling private swimming pools, watering gardens, public and private parks, golf courses, car washing outside authorised establishments, ornamental fountains that do not have a closed water circuit, and public fountains and spouts,” it said in a letter to its members.
Malaga’s reservoirs have dropped to alarmingly low levels, with total reserves now 30,000,000,000 litres lower than this time last year.
Water levels are a mere 16% of capacity, prompting authorities to issue warnings of a worsening crisis.
In Malaga city and the Guadalhorce Valley, experts say there is enough water to last around ten months.
However, agricultural irrigation remains severely limited, with a lifeline of just 9,000,000,000 litres of water supplied during the summer.
In the Axarquía, some farmers have received reclaimed water from treatment plants, but it only benefits a fraction of the region’s agricultural areas.
Urban water supplies are secure for around a year, but further cuts could be on the horizon as the crisis deepens.
The Costa del Sol is in a slightly better position thanks to the expansion of the desalination plant in Marbella, which will add an additional 20,000,000,000 litres annually.
Despite this, water authorities have warned that the region cannot afford to be complacent given the small capacity of the La Concepción reservoir, which currently holds just 24,000,000,000 litres.
