Sad sight as the green areas of Torremolinos drink the town's boating lake dry

Pleasure boats at the Parque de la Bateria in Torremolinos run the risk of being damaged if they remain in the sun too long and the place where the craft are moored can hardly be called a lake any more.

At the beginning of the year, the pond in the green lung of the town ceased to be considered as a landscaping and leisure element and became a strategic water reserve. It was in mid-January when the town hall, led by mayor Margarita del Cid, announced that, given the situation of extreme drought suffered by the Costa del Sol resort, as well as much of Andalucía, the 4.5 million litres of water of this artificial lake were going to be used to irrigate green areas. The measure included the suspension of boat trips, which, according to municipal sources, are not being considered for the moment; in fact, they point out, the boats will soon be stored, awaiting better times.

What happened to the boats is particularly symptomatic of the consequences of the lack of rain. This recreational offer had been suspended for more than three years, after being paralysed by the coronavirus pandemic. Once the local government team decided to bring them back in October 2023, restrictions due to water shortages forced a new suspension within months.

The use of water from the boating lake has been carried out in several phases. Initially, the system chosen was to fill the tanks of the municipal parks and gardens service with a capacity of some 8,000 litres. The idea was to irrigate those parts of the town centre where it was most needed: as the council explained at the time, the water would be used for "emergency watering of trees or other plant species of special interest".

Barely eight months later, the situation is different. The water that remains in La Batería only irrigates the vegetation in the park, not much more. You only have to take a stroll around the area to find some of the hosepipes that draw directly from the pond to irrigate plants just a few metres away. The "lucky thing", according to technical sources, is that there is a "feedback" effect, since, due to the porosity of the soil, part of the water that irrigates the flowerbeds filters and flows back into the artificial lake. In fact, to make the most of this situation and maximize the benefits, the pumping has been improved.

Given the circumstances, where it seems unlikely that the lake will return to its former glory, the local government team is considering alternatives. One of these is to reduce the size of the lake; that is, if possible, to refill it but with less water, and to use another part of the basin, around 9,000 square metres, for other "dry" uses. This way, the sad sight currently presented by this key feature of Torremolinos —a focal point in wetter years with its fountains, boats, and charming pavilion—could be avoided.

Torremolinos, since November 2023, has activated water saving measures in line with the rest of the municipalities of the Costa del Sol. These have been alleviated, in part, until 30 September, which has allowed the partial refilling of swimming pools and other actions, such as cleaning with low consumption machines. At the same time, Aguas y Saneamientos de Torremolinos, the company in charge of water supply in the municiplaity, requested permission in February to carry out a new borehole to guarantee the supply. The authorisation depends on the Junta de Andalucía and still has to pass the preliminary phase to be granted.

Torremolinos' drinking water, at present, comes mainly from the seven water catchments it has. In this way, extractions are made from the Sierra de Mijas groundwater body. The aim, as Aguas de Torremolinos explained at the time, is to ensure that the necessary flow is available at all times. It should be remembered that, in the summer period, Torremolinos needs a peak supply of 35,000 cubic metres a day, so it is necessary to have a sufficient quantity available to balance any deficit that might arise in the event of a breakdown in the other catchments.