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Date Published: 10/11/2023

Water cuts ordered in Costa del Sol town this late in the year

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The Spanish town of Torrox is experimenting with restricting domestic drinking water at night as it is faced with a ‘drought’ situation this autumn

Water cuts ordered in Costa del Sol town this late in the year

The municipality of Torrox in Málaga has announced that the water supply will be cut at night in order to save precious resources in the face of a drought. Such water restrictions are common in summer, when it rarely rains in this area of the Costa del Sol, but for the province to be facing water restrictions at this point in the year is a worrying sign that the climate crisis is having a tangible and worsening effect on the living conditions on people in southern Spain.

Torrox Council suspended the supply in practically the entire municipal area on the night of this Thursday, November 9, from 10.30pm until 7am on Friday November 10.

The mayor of Torrox, Óscar Medina, has explained that “the drop in the flows supplied by the municipality’s own water resources” has forced them to have to start applying water cuts at night to see what effect it has on the tanks of drinking water and to evaluate whether they will continue with the restrictions from there, based on their efficacy.

Medina also begged local residents to continue to use their water supply sparingly and responsibly “to try to ensure that supply cuts, such as the one planned tonight, are as minimal as possible during the next few days”.

Recent heavy rains have topped up depleted aquifers in many parts of Spain that had been facing dire water shortages during the summer, but in the Costa del Sol this has not been the case.

The Axarquía area’s public water company, Axaragua, recently made public that the supply flow for consumption in the area is 390 litres per second from November to May, 15% less than until now, when 460 litres were received.

Torrox is also taking other measures to save water, including repairing leaks like the one on Avenida de Cómpeta, shutting off water to the beach showers, reducing their watering of green areas and moving ahead with plans to build a new water tank in El Morche.

“Work to improve the water supply in this same area, El Morche, was recently resumed, with almost 700,000 euros of investment to modernise a vital network and guarantee better water service in the municipality,” said Medina.

Nonetheless, citizen participation to ensure the continued water supply for the municipality is vital and if it is deemed effective, the nocturnal water cuts may be continued in the long term.

Image: Archive

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