Water restrictions in the popular holiday hotspot of Malaga are set to be “tightened” as the Spanish region battles an extreme drought.
The Vélez-Málaga area of the Costa del Sol is bracing for stricter water usage limits as the “situation has become considerably more complicated.” Local news outlet Sur in English warned earlier this week that conditions “could get worse in a few weeks if it doesn’t rain heavily”. The region has been grappling with a drought since June 30, 2023. Restrictions have been in place during this period, never less than seven hours a day, but they’re now expected to extend to nine hours, from 10.30pm to 7.30am, covering “practically the entire municipality”.
Residents have voiced their frustration over the water restrictions, particularly as they weren’t enforced during the summer months when tourist numbers peak. One local, Pamela Sánchez, commented: “Now the tourists have gone, the residents have to recover the wasted water.” Rules on refilling swimming pools and watering gardens will also be reinstated after being relaxed from June 1, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Over the summer, regional authorities permitted the weekly refilling of private swimming pools and the watering of public and private green spaces once a week. Beach showers were also allowed for those with reduced mobility use.
Sur in English has reported that the Junta de Andalucía’s water usage authorisation, which allows for 200 litres per inhabitant per day, is likely to be reduced this week. The publication noted that variations between the Costa del Sol, Malaga, and Axarquia are expected due to their different water situations.
Meanwhile, Majorca is facing “alarming conditions” as its reservoirs are drying up. The Majorca Daily Bulletin has highlighted that water levels in the Serra de Tramuntana reservoirs have “drastically declined”.
Meteorologist Miquel Salamanca’s photos reveal the Gorg Blau reservoir’s desert-like state. The Majorca Daily Bulletin commented: “The latest measurement by Emaya shows the reservoir at a disheartening 27.1per cent of its capacity, a drop of 1.6per cent from the previous week, edging closer to just a quarter of its total volume. Despite recent rains, they have done little to replenish this critical source of water for the island.”
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