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Water levels are very low in the three Guadalhorce reservoirs.
The Guadalhorce reservoirs are at drought level due to the lack of rain so far this year

The Guadalhorce reservoirs are at drought level due to the lack of rain so far this year

The regional government says that if there isn't enough rainfall to raise water levels in the near future special measures will be put into effect

AGUSTÍN PELÁEZ

Friday, 13 October 2017, 16:37

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The Guadalhorce reservoirs, which supply most of Malaga city's water, have begun the new hydrological year (1 October 2017 to 30 September 2018) below the level at which a drought can officially be declared: 128 cubic hectometres. Meanwhile La Viñuela reservoir, the largest in the province, has been in the same situation since July. The scarce reserves of water are causing concern among the authorities. If we don't have enough rain to raise the water reserves above 128 cubic hectometres, the system will be on alert, says the regional government's Environment delegate in Malaga, Adolfo Moreno.

The water levels are low, but not as low as in some reservoirs in 2005, when there was only 60 cubic hectometres and the Junta de Andalucía put special measures into effect in Alhaurín de la Torre, Alhaurín el Grande, Álora, Benahavís, Benalmádena, Cártama, Casares, Coín, Estepona, Fuengirola, Istán, Malaga, Manilva, Marbella, Mijas, Ojén, Pizarra and Torremolinos.

The Junta warned back in May this year that if there was 50 per cent less rain than usual it was likely that by the end of September there would only be 120 hm3 of water in the Guadalhorce, Conde de Guadalhorce and Guadalteba reservoirs, and that is exactly what has happened. These inland reservoirs are currently at the 117 hm3 level. To be specific, the Guadalhorce reservoir contains about 55 hm3 of water; the Conde del Guadalhorce 24 and Guadalteba 38.

There is an additional problem: the water quality diminishes as the levels drop, due to increasing salinity in the Guadalhorce. This is because the salt waters of the Meliones stream run into this reservoir, and this causes a major problem for farmers as it means the water cannot be used to irrigate crops such as avocados.

A great deal of the water in the reservoirs is used for irrigation. By the end of the last hydrological year over 92 cubic hectometres had been used; of these, 54.4 were supplied to Malaga city for domestic consumption, and between 27 and 30 were used for irrigation.

If the situation doesn't improve soon, the Junta will have to make full use of El Atabal desalination plant to supply water to the city, and will ban irrigation except for seasonal produce.

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