rain
Andalucía's reservoirs were sixty per cent full by the end of the year. Thursday's downpour caused flooding in Malaga and Alhaurín de la Torre
19.01.10 - 11:01 -
The Guadalhorce industrial estate on Thursday morning
Andalucía has witnessed uninterrupted rainfall now for around three weeks. From 18th until 30th December a total of 238 litres fell per square metre in the region; few can remember a December so wet. In fact it was the wettest December since before 1950 according to the Director of the Andalusian Water Agency, Juan Paniagua.
The rain has continued into the first week of 2010, although it did hold off for the Kings’ parades in most areas on Tuesday evening. Downpours on Thursday morning caused flooding on roads and in basements, garages in Malaga and Alhaurín de la Torre.
Rain in the last few days has also caused problems in the area known as La Indiana in the municipality of Ronda. For the fourth time over the Christmas holiday period the rivers Guadiaro, Guadalevín and Gaudalcobacín broke their banks on Tuesday, flooding homes in La Indiana and Huertas Nuevas.
The generosity of the clouds has been filling Andalucía’s reservoirs of the region, which have doubled in capacity in scarcely two weeks. Last month’s rainfall alone will guarantee water for more than two years to the majority of Andalucía.
The precipitation has not been uniform across the region though. Cadiz for example, where 362 litres fell per square metre, is guaranteed water for the next four years. Almeria on the other hand only received 148 litres per square metre. Seville comes somewhere in the middle with enough water for three years. Malaga and Granada will both have sufficient for two years.
The recent rainfall has also been responsible for the desalination plant in Marbella putting the brakes on and reducing the amount of water going through the plant to just two production lines instead of the usual eight. There is now sufficient water in the reservoirs to allow the desalination plant can take a back seat. The plant has been in action, all eight lines with scarcely a break, since 2005.
If just two weeks ago there was concern that levels in La Concepción had fallen to less than 40 per cent, now the old complaint that the reservoir isn’t big enough has returned. With levels back up to 97.5 per cent in just two days the reservoir has had to open its sluice gates and release enough water to supply the Costa del Sol for a month and a half into the sea.
Temperatures were expected to fall this Friday and Saturday reaching levels below zero in inland areas of the province of Malaga and around two degrees along the coast. The wind, however is expected to make it feel much colder than the thermometers show.
