La Axarquía is receiving water pumped from the Costa del Sol to alleviate the effects of the drought

In Marbella, the authorities are hoping they will not need to open the sluice gates of La Concepción reservoir, because it is practically full and more rain is on the way this week. At present it holds 55 Hm3, which is 89 per cent of its capacity.

The rainfall in the second half of March mainly benefited the Mediterranean coast of Andalucía but not equally: the Viñuela-Axarquía system did not receive a great deal of rain and that it is why it is still in a situation of exceptional drought.

The transfer of water will be stopped temporarily during Easter week because a large number of tourists are expected to be on the Costa del Sol then, and local demand will increase considerably.

The works to improve the Churriana ‘bypass’ included replacing a pipe so that twice as much water can now be transferred between different areas and to Malaga city, and supplies to the Guadahorce area are also improved. The works began a year ago and have cost over 1.4 million euros.