After a hot dry summer, what state are Malaga province's reservoirs in?

There is no sign of drought at the moment in Malaga province and despite the dry summer, water levels in the province's reservoirs are still good. The Junta de Andalucía's representative in Malaga, Patricia Navarro, reported on the state of the reservoirs during a visit to the SAIH Hidrosur control centre on Thursday 28 August. According to Andalusian regional government figures the reservoirs in the province still store more than 317 million cubic metres.

With the end of the current hydrological (water) year approaching on 30 September, the province's reservoirs are currently at 51.9 per cent capacity. Compared to last year, a further 200 million cubic metres of water has been stored.

The Limonero reservoir had a capacity of 3.85 million cubic metres in 2024 and currently its levels are at 57.3% of its capacity, with more than 12.8 million cubic metres. Likewise, La Concepción reservoir is at 77%, with 44.39 million cubic metres.

According to Navarro, the positive figures have enabled the province to avoid water restrictions in summer, as was the case last year, and to begin the next water year "with significant reserves in our reservoirs", which could lead to a future review of the measures adopted in the last drought commission.

Water consumption is currently limited to 225 litres per person per day in Malaga city and the Axarquía, rising to 250 litres per person per day on the western Costa del Sol. Farmers are allocated 30 million cubic metres in the Guadalhorce irrigation area and 12.8 million cubic metres in the Axarquía.

Navarro took advantage of her visit to the SAIH Hidrosur control centre to review some of the most important water management actions carried out by the regional government in Andalucia, including the enlargement of the Marbella desalination plant and the completion of the emergency work to recover the wells of the lower Guadalhorce (15.5 million euros), as well as the start-up of the Aljaima and Fahala wells in Cártama, which have involved an investment of six million euros.

She also highlighted that the Junta has already allocated 36 million euros, of the 53 million, to improve and expand the treatment capacity of the Río Verde waste water treatment plant and to build a new regulating reservoir. For this action, included in the second drought decree, a collaboration protocol has already been signed between the Mancomunidad association of town halls on the western Costa del Sol and the Junta de Andalucía.

Navarro analysed the role that the Gibralmedina dam should play in Andalucía's water planning and described the infrastructure as a "key element" in guaranteeing water supply in Malaga and the western Costa del Sol.

This project, declared to be of general state interest, "has been stuck for 30 years and, despite the fact that it is the central government's responsibility to build it, the Andalusian regional government has promoted and finalised the drafting of the construction project for 2.3 million euros and the environmental proceedings", Navarro said, insisting "that a clear commitment is needed from the government to carry out this essential infrastructure".

The dam, located between the provinces of Cadiz and Malaga, would regulate the flow of the river Guadiaro to supply not only the Campo de Gibraltar, but also the Costa del Sol. A reservoir of 100 million cubic metres whose water supply to the Costa del Sol, should it be needed, would be around 15 million cubic metres.

"Gibralmedina is not only a strategic project for the province of Cadiz; it is a guarantee for the future of the Costa del Sol, whose demographic and tourist pressure is growing and, therefore, the demand for water resources will increase significantly in the coming years," Navarro said.