The municipalities of the Costa del Sol look with concern at the drought situation caused by the lack of rainfall in recent months, but for now they rule out applying restrictive measures to the supply or consumption of water in the region, a measure that is already being considered in some areas of the interior of Malaga.
Thus, while waiting for the Junta de Andalucía to review the hydrological year in March, the municipalities of the Costa del Sol are waiting for future decisions that the Andalusian Administration may adopt regarding water consumption, so currently continues in force the drought decree that the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development approved in June 2021.
The document marks a “situation of exceptional drought” in the case of the “Viñuela-Axarquía exploitation system”, relative to the reservoir of the eastern region of Malaga. Meanwhile, for the “I-3 Costa del Sol Occidental subsystem” the Andalusian decree indicates that “the lack of rainfall between January and August 2019” caused a decrease in the contributions with a reservoir “40% lower than average” and only the rainfall at the end of that year “avoided a more than likely drought situation.”
The high temperatures and lack of rain recorded in recent months in the region of the Western Costa del Sol suggest an alteration in the data recorded by the decree in the hydrographic year 2020-2021, which will likely be reviewed in March, so “if the drought persists and therefore the flow and storage of the reservoirs” it is considered that the region is on alert, they will be adopted “measures already binding on municipalities”, they have indicated from the regional administration.
Even so, from the Junta de Andalucía they have indicated that consistories are “autonomous” to adopt certain measures such as “restricting the use of drinking water for irrigation” or “saving campaigns”, among others, and which have already been adopted by populations in the interior of the Malaga province such as Alameda, Fuente de Piedra, Humilladero or Mollina.
Foresight has led many town councils to plan resources and actions to guarantee and improve the water supply, as is the case in Estepona, which for years has “worked on a ‘supply master plan which aims to provide the city with new deposits and works that prevent losses or leaks of water, they have indicated from the Consistory.
In this way, the city hassmart meters in 100% of municipal consumption” after implementing a “reading system that allows real-time control” and “detect leaks or inappropriate use of water”. In addition, this week “a remote reading service” for individuals has been presented.
On the other hand, the City Council is undertaking “the cConstruction of a new 15,000 cubic meter tank in the Las Mesas area to improve supply in the northern zone”, an action that “multiplies by 15 the capacity of the current infrastructure” and an investment of 3.7 million. It also foresees another 2 in the polygon and Puerto Romano.
For its part, Benalmádena has allocated in the last 8 years more than 12 million to renew the networks, whose age “exceeded 40 years in some cases”, which has allowed “the distribution network to have a performance of over 80%”, pointed out from the Consistory.
Also, the city works on the “sectorization to have greater control of the water” and has invested in “pressure control by placing reducing valves”. He has also earmarked more than a million “in the La Soga deposit with the installation of pumps and connection to the Acosol network” in 2021, they have assured.
Mijas requested in 2015 to make use of the funds of the ‘canon for the improvement of hydraulic infrastructures for local entities’, thanks to which works such as the Mijas Pueblo water tankwhich has a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters and is located in the Cantera del Puerto or the slab of the El Cerrajón deposit, among others.