Water cuts extended to seven Axarquía municipalities and Casabermeja in Malaga province

Cuts to the water supply are now affecting seven towns and villages in the Axarquía as well as Casabermeja, which lies between Colmenar and Malaga city. In fact it is one of the places most affected in Malaga province by the lack of water and has been experiencing daily cuts for the last two months. At first they started at night, but the situation worsened when the cuts became much longer, lasting from around 2pm until 8am the following day in the centre of the village and some residential areas.

Some residents have water tanks or cisterns in their homes, but those who do not have these tanks have to go to the village fountains or take advantage of the available hours - around six a day - to get their supply. In rural areas the situation is even more complicated, as they only have five hours a week. The town hall has announced that they will soon be able to start up a well in Sierra de Cabras, for which they already have the approval.

Meanwhile in the Axarquía, seven towns and villages are already experiencing nighttime water cuts. They are Vélez-Málaga, Periana, Benamargosa, Moclinejo, Almáchar, El Borge and Iznate. With the exception of Periana, the other six municipalities depend partially on La Viñuela reservoir, which this Monday 24 July, was at 8.8 per cent of its capacity, with 14.5 cubic hectometres stored; a historic low.

In Velez-Malaga and Torre del Mar the town hall does not rule out having to extend the hours of the cuts, which are currently from 11pm to 7am, in the coming weeks.

In Periana the restrictions began last week in rural areas from 10.30pm to 7am due to the drop Guaro aquifer and In Benamargosa there are night-time cuts from 9pm to 8am, until the reservoirs recover the water. In Moclinejo the cuts are from midnight to 6.30am and in Almáchar and El Borge the night-time cut-off is between midnight and 7am. Finally, in Iznate, for the time being, the cut-off affects rural houses between 10pm and 10am.

In Colmenar it is particularly the Solano area which is most affected where water is being brought in by trucks. The acting president of the Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Costa del Sol Oriental Axarquia and mayor of La Viñuela, José Juan Jiménez, has said that the 14 municipalities served by the public company Axaragua are managing to reduce consumption by 20 per cent, as set by the Junta de Andalucía in the last drought decree.

However, he called for "an additional effort" from residents and tourists, "because the situation is frankly complicated, we have never had the reservoir so low," he said. Thus, Jiménez stressed that the supply is being guaranteed by water being diverted from reservoirs in Malaga city at around 300 litres per second and from Nerja’s Chíllar river, around about 80.

Axaragua is waiting for the Junta to undertake two emergency projects at La Viñuela to maximise the remaining reserves. On the one hand, the installation of surface pumps and on the other the removal of all the organic matter, mainly fish and turtles from the water.

"At the moment we are able to make the water drinkable at the El Trapiche station, but we do not know how long we will be able to continue with this situation, if it does not rain in autumn it will be impossible," predicted Jiménez, who pointed out that of the 14.5 cubic hectometres that remain in the dam, theoretically around five would be usable. The decrease in reserves, together with evaporation, is currently around 0.2 hectometres a week.

Campillos is also experiencing problems due to the severe drought affecting the province. In this area in particular, supply problems are occurring in certain areas of the town due to the scarcity of water and the increased consumption by residents during the summer months. The town hall is regulating the water pressure in the higher areas, which is where there is less pressure, so from time to time they regulate the pressure in the lower areas until the cisterns in the higher areas are full. The mayor, Daniel Gómez, explained that the wells are increasingly empty and that they do not rule out having to introduce cuts.

The town hall has reported that "all the water that enters the reservoirs is consumed and on many occasions the water consumption is even higher. The volume of water reaching the reservoirs has decreased and the level of water in the municipal wells has also dropped considerably”.

These current consumption rates mean that Campillos is not ruling out water restrictions for the rest of the summer, and the council is considering various options and initiatives to help improve the water supply in the town. "Citizens are urged to use water responsibly, to limit consumption as much as possible and not to use drinking water to fill swimming pools," they stressed.