Water crisis
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Eugenio Cabezas
Nerja
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 12:08
The beach showers in Rincón de la Victoria, Vélez-Málaga, Algarrobo and Torrox on the eastern Costa del Sol will not operate this summer, the town halls have announced. Only the footbaths will work, "as a measure to raise awareness" and to save water after the recent years of drought.
The decision comes despite the substantial improvement in water reserves in La Viñuela reservoir, which is now at just over 50 per cent of its capacity, with almost 83 million cubic metres.
The other municipality on the eastern Costa del Sol, Nerja, could therefore be the only one of the five coastal towns in the Axarquía that is contemplating providing beach showers. In fact, many of them have been working since Easter, although they are mainly those adapted for people with reduced mobility, as was the case last summer. However, the decision on all the showers in Nerja has not yet been taken and the town hall has set the date for 15 June to make its final decision, which is when the summer season begins.
"The town hall will take a decision on the activation of the showers and footbaths depending on the water situation at that time and following the recommendations made by the Junta de Andalucía, the competent administration in this area," municipal sources said in a statement.
President of the Mancomunidad association of town halls in the Axarquía, Jorge Martin, explained on Cadena Ser radio in the Axarquía that the town halls have undertaken, with a view to the summer of 2026, to carry out a study to analyse the technical possibilities of using sea water for the footbaths, as has been proposed for several years by Vélez-Málaga town hall, and is already being done in other Spanish provinces including Alicante.
"The Viñuela Axarquia system remains in a situation of severe shortage but we are better off than last summer. Although we are facing a more optimistic scenario for the summer season, we have to be responsible and continue to watch over our water resources.We do not know how the autumn and winter will behave," said Martín.
Axaragua, the public water company which is managed by the Mancomunidad, has recommended to only open the footbaths of the beaches during the summer. "The situation of the Viñuela Axarquia system has improved with respect to last year but continues to be in a situation of severe shortage. So we consider that the showers should remain closed as an exercise of responsibility," said Martín. Drinking fountains with automatic opening and closing valves will also be activated.
"The improvement in the situation of the Viñuela Axarquía system, as in the rest of the Andalusian districts, has allowed the Junta de Andalucía to relax the measures, especially those that are of general, social or public health interest. However, we must continue to focus on saving water as we have been doing up to now. Since last summer, we have shown that small gestures allow us to contribute to alleviating the shortage of water resources with which we coexist," Martín said.
In the rest of Malaga province, the large coastal municipalities will also have showers available on the beaches, from Malaga city to Manilva in summer. Last summer the Junta de Andalucía only permitted showers adapted for people with reduced mobility to be used along the 180 kilometres of Malaga's coastline.
However, this year the regional government has not gone into these details and has left the decision with the individual town halls, within the limit of 225 litres of water per inhabitant per day, an amount that rises to 250 litres on the western Costa del Sol.
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