Sayalonga tightens control of water consumption in effort to avoid cuts

With a registered population of just 1,600 inhabitants, spread over the villages of Sayalonga and Corumbela, as well as the numerous rural areas, it is one of the 17 municipalities in the Axarquía that are not supplied by La Viñuela reservoir, but instead through their own resources. Sayalonga receives its water from the river that flows down from the Sierras Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama from Canillas de Albaida and Árchez.

Property owners have been given a period of 15 days, after which only town hall workers will have access to these huts. The mayor also announced that "when water is used for purposes other than those contracted, for example excessive consumption compared to the average for other users", the service will also be cut off.

The town hall has also announced that it will suspend the service "when the personnel of the supplying entity find derivations in its networks with water consumption without any contract". Or "when the user establishes derivations in their installation for the supply of water to other properties, premises or dwellings other than those included in the service contract.”

Fernández said that action will also be taken "when the subscriber does not comply, in any aspect, with the contract established with the company, or with the general conditions for the use of the service". Finally, supply will also be suspended when there is "non-payment of one or more bills within the period established for this purpose".

The mayor highlighted that according to the byelaw the current water tariffs are set at 69 cents for the first 15 cubic metres of consumption; between 16 and 35 cubic metres of consumption the cost rises to 1.19 euros per cubic metre; from 36 to 75, to 1.69 euros per cubic metre; and above 76 cubic metres of consumption, each 1,000 litres are billed at 3.36 euros.

She added that the measures “are not pleasant for anyone, but the situation is unsustainable and is getting worse every year, even with the improvement of investments in the supply; there is no more room for temporary solutions, the situation must be tackled".