Fuengirola to reduce water pressure leaving many homes and businesses without water overnight

The company that supplies Fuengirola’s water, Gestagua, is going to apply a reduction in the pressure of the water supply to the entire town from Monday (15 January).

This will mean that between midnight and seven in the morning there will be homes and commercial premises that "will not have water supply, mainly buildings that lack a water tank, but also those located in higher areas of the town," the council said in a statement. The town hall said that there is no estimate of the total number of homes that will be subjected to a total cut; the current population of the town exceeds 85,000 inhabitants.

“It is a decision that we don't like to take, but we have had no choice but to implement it due to the lack of rain," said the councillor for infrastructures, José Sánchez, who announced the measures and appealed to the public to cooperate. He referenced the limitations on consumption that have been in force since last summer and the awareness campaigns that have been launched by the town hall before reaching this point.

The councillor and the head of Gestagua, Enrique Sánchez, pointed out that the service operators are studying the town’s underground water sources to assess the possibility of sinking boreholes to access this water resource. The town hall has also started the tendering process to modernise and digitise the remote management of the network.

Councillor Sánchez emphasised the importance of having a water tank to be able to deal with the period of reduced pressure at night, "as only those buildings or commercial premises that have one will not see their supply affected". For this reason, he recommended installing one of these tanks, as well as checking its condition.

He also stressed that establishments in the hotel and catering industry are legally obliged to have water reserve systems to guarantee their self-sufficiency for at least 24 hours, although it is believed that many do not comply.

Sánchez also called on all residents not to store water unnecessarily. "If we do so, we will be harming those who do not have [tanks] and will cause the next measures to be more severe. It is vital that we all practise responsible consumption and heed the advice we offer on the Gestagua website and in the municipal media," the councillor said.

The councillor added that the local government team is working with Acosol (the water supply company) and the Junta de Andalucía, in order to speed up other solutions and improve the existing water infrastructure.