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ARCHIVED - Water restrictions imposed in Andalucia as reservoirs run dry
The Guadalhorce reservoirs are close to declaring a drought alert
With temperatures tipping 30ºC throughout Andalucía for the past couple of weeks, the summer-like weather is pushing reservoirs to their limit. A distinct lack of rain so far this year has dried up the Valle del Guadalhorce reservoirs, which now only contain 145.5 hectometres of water, just half a point away from the danger zone and an official drought alert.
The remaining reservoirs in the province are at 37.01% of capacity, with 226.19 hectometres of water.
Of the seven storage facilities in Andalucía, the one in the best shape for now is La Concepción, which is currently at 81.28%. On the other hand, the Casasola and Limonero reservoirs are at 40.06% and 36.57%, respectively. This means that each contains just 8.7 and 8.17 cubic hectometres.
Faced with this extreme drought, the Minister of Agriculture has been left with no choice other than to impose some water restrictions. In the Guadalhorce Valley, farmers have seen their irrigation water reduced by 25% so that between April and September, they will have 30 cubic hectometres available to water their crops.
The reservoirs of the region are “close to the declaration of alert for drought,” Ministry official Fernando Fernández Tapia-Ruano explained, adding that farmers must be “realistic” in the face of this very worrying situation.
By law, each person in Andalucía must be supplied with 200 litres of water per day, but the overall amount available will now be reduced by 5%.
“The supply of the population is a priority by law and I am sorry that the agricultural sector is the main victim of this situation, but undoubtedly if there are not enough water resources, the supply must be guaranteed,” Tapia-Ruano said.
There is still hope that it may rain in the coming weeks and if the water levels in the reservoirs are replenished, the restrictions will be removed.
In other news: Spanish forest fire rages on, but the outlook is encouraging
Image: Freepik
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