The striking sight of the hundred-spout fountain that has run dry
This popular monument and visitor attraction in Malaga province has dried up because of the drought, which is almost unheard of at this time of year
Javier Almellones
Malaga
Thursday, 10 March 2022, 12:21
At present, only a few drops of water are falling from the hundred-spout fountain, a spring which carries water from the Sierra de San Jorge to the first metres of the Guadalhorce river. It is one of the most striking images to reflect the drought in the village of Villanueva del Trabuco.
It is normal for the spring to dry up in the summer months, depending on how much rain there is earlier in the year, but this is almost mid-March and it has produced hardly any water at all this winter.
The hundred-spout fountain is classified as a natural monument of Andalucía and is an emblem of the Sierra Norte area of Malaga, not just because it is one of the springs that feeds the Guadalhorce, but also because many walking routes start from here. It also attracts a great many tourists to the area. The spring, in this unnatural state, has been photographed by a great many surprised people in recent weeks.
Until it rains enough to fill the aquifers of the Sierra de San Jorge, it will be impossible to see the spring in action between now and the autumn.
The spring was converted into its current form, as a fountain, in 1985 and that was when it was given its name. However, more than a few local people who have had time to count say it was misnomer: it should actually be one hundred and one.
