Junta issues order to save water but lets councils decide how

The persistent drought in Malaga province has led some municipalities in the Axarquía to establish the first, nightly cuts in water supply to their residents. These include Vélez-Málaga, Benamargosa, Moclinejo, Iznate, Almáchar and El Borge. However, many other areas continue to carry on without taking these drastic measures , and have limited themselves to approving municipal edicts with the prohibitions that have been established since the first of the three drought decrees that the Junta de Andalucía approved in June 2021.

Faced with this scenario, there are many residents, businessmen and visitors who wonder why in some towns the beach showers are cut and in others they are not. And, even more seriously, why there are nighttime cuts in some areas, but not in neighbouring towns and villages.

The Junta's delegate in Malaga, Patricia Navarro, has responded to these complaints and has referred to "the local autonomy of each municipality and freedom to choose" as long as they comply with the water saving targets stipulated by the regional government.

Specifically, the 31 municipalities of the Axarquía have to reduce their consumption by 20%, while in the rest of the province and Malaga city this figure is reduced to 10% compared to the usage a year ago. The water reserves continue to drop across the Andalucía region this week and are now at less than 25 per cent of their total capacity, with La Viñuela reservoir in the Axarquía critical at 9%.