Irrigation restrictions extended to Frigiliana as river levels drop

The cuts affect the Axarquía village's farming community but the town hall has assured residents that the drinking water supply is guaranteed

Eugenio Cabezas

Axarquía

Monday, 24 July 2023, 19:45

The restrictions on water for irrigation are spreading throughout the Axarquía as the heatwave advances, in one of the driest and hottest years on record. Not even the rain at the end of spring has managed to alleviate the drought and the consequences are now being felt in villages that until now, were considered oases in the Axarquía, which is rapidly turning into a desert.

Last week the San Isidro farming community in Nerja established its first restrictions due to the drought, with a shift system for the first time in decades and now the Lízar and El Molino irrigation communities, which group together around a thousand landowners, with some 320 hectares of mainly subtropical crops, have implemented a similar system.

The measure has been adopted "as a consequence of the drastic reduction in the available water reserve and in order to be able to guarantee the supply to all members", according to a letter that went to members and to which SUR has had access.

Reduction

Carlos Álvarez, the community's administrator, explained to SUR that in recent weeks they have detected a reduction of more than 50 metres in the level of the main well which is located in the village’s Higuerón river.

“It is logical that it is related to the transfer of water from the neighbouring river Chíllar to La Viñuela, because the aquifer from which we are fed is the same,” explained Álvarez, who pointed out that the last time this happened was in 2008, during the previous drought, when La Viñuela reservoir reached its previous historic minimum until July this year, when it was at 9.2%, with 15.2 hectometres. Last Thursday 20 July it was at 8.9%.

"With this amount of water it is possible to grow mango and avocado crops without problems, although it is true that for those who also use water in a rural homes it is a problem, but the water we provide is only for irrigation, not for domestic use," said Álvarez, who added that it is necessary to raise awareness among members of the importance of "efficiency and saving water at this time of severe drought that we have”.

"For now we have water, but if it still doesn’t rain in the autumn, the situation could become even more complicated," Álvarez highlighted.

Reclaimed water

The situation in Frigiliana is much better than in other areas of the Axarquía, where the estates included in the Guaro Plan, below 140 metres above sea level, have been without water from La Viñuela since 1 October 2022.

Just half of them receive alternative resources with reclaimed water from the treatment plants. The Junta de Andalucía is finalising the project to increase availability, with the incorporation from September of the resources from the Peñón del Cuervo and Rincón de la Victoria reservoirs.

In terms of domestic supply for Frigiliana residents, councillor Manuel López explained to SUR that "it is guaranteed", thanks to the various wells in the village, including those in the Higuerón and Lízar rivers, which are managed by the water company Aqualia. However, López called for "responsible consumption and compliance with the measures" including the restrictions imposed by the last drought decree, which included a reduction in consumption by 20 per cent compared to last year.

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