The rainfall of recent days has caused an increase in the water reserves of the La Concepcion swamp, that supplies the Western Costa del Sol, and that registers after the rains this morning “37 hectometres” compared to “almost 22.8” recorded two weeks ago, so exceeds 50% of its capacity and guarantees supply in summeras celebrated this Wednesday by the CEO of Acosol, Carlos Cañavate.
According to the representative of the public water company, dependent on the Commonwealth of Municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol, this contribution “guarantees until the beginning of the next water year” the supply, which is counted “from October to October”, for which he has ensured that “this year we have it guaranteed and at the tourist level we can be calm and we won’t have any water supply problems”.
“We are quite happy”, highlighted Cañavate, who explained that “from 35 hectometers we have already saved the summer. We are calmer now, and above allthinking about the next hydric year and in the months of October, November and December of this year”. Thus, the 37 hectometers registered mean that the reservoir exceeds 50% of its capacity, so “summer is guaranteed and the Costa del Sol has its supply guaranteed until October”.
Cañavate has recalled that the Costa del Sol system It is designed to supply the eleven municipalities of the region such as Manilva, Casares, Estepona, Marbella, Fuengirola, Mijas, Benalmádena, Torremolinos, Benahavís, Ojén and Istán, detailing that “all of them, during the water year have a full expenditure of 100 hectometers”.
The counselor of Acosol has explained that “The La Concepción reservoir has a capacity of 60 hectometers, the desalination plant makes contributions of around 10 and 15 hectometres”, to which are added those contributed by “aquifer areas and wells”. In this way, he has assessed that the swamp “is the key piece and has more than 60% of the need for water of a year”.
In this sense, Cañavate has pointed out that unlike other systems, the one on the Costa del Sol has a reserve storage capacity “for one year” and all the water “is for supply”, for which he has remarked that ” By the time the swamp have those numbers, It guarantees us the summer without any problem”.
The rain forecast for the next few days increases the expectations of water resource storage in the La Concepción reservoir and Acosol expects that “44 or 45 hectometers” are reachedalthough it will depend “on what falls and we will see how it rains”, he stressed.
About him drought decree announced last March 11 by the Junta de Andalucía, in which the exceptional situation of drought in the Costa del So Occidental was decreed, the CEO of Acosol has assessed that “should remain valid” and “especially those works that are so necessary to avoid medium-term problems in the area.
In this regard, he recalled that the document contemplates, in addition to the restrictions, “other circumstances or emergency works with which it is guaranteed that no drought will be decreed in the future.” In the case of the region, it is established to undertake “a tank to mix the water that comes from the treatment plant” and the improvement of the frames or membranes of the desalination plant current”, which implies “the improvement of the production systems” of the same.
“For us it is key the drought decree because we understand that there is still a lot to do to ensure the infrastructure and we cannot spend year after year waiting for it to rain, we need a series of infrastructures that at least guarantee that there will be water in the future”, he stressed.
Cañavate has recalled that “the decree is not yet approved”, since “it is definitively approved when it is published in the bulletin” and so far a “Information phase for all water operators and irrigators and now it is in the approval phase, which will be done immediately”. In his opinion, “the decree must remain in force” with regard to the achievement of these works.
In line with this, he highlighted the need to expand the Marbella desalination plantfor which the Commonwealth has proposed to the Ministry and the Andalusian Government to cancel the file for the construction of a plant in Mijas, for which 50 million have been reserved”, and that “these funds go directly to the expansion of the plant of Marbella to go from producing 10 hectometers to 30.