Reservoirs supplying Malaga on track to gain enough water to last nine months

The devastation following the effects of the 'Dana' in Malaga, with one person dead, 150 displaced from their homes, a cost of millions in material damage and families and business owners who have lost everything, leaves a bitter taste in the mouth after two days of struggle by the province, and especially the Guadalhorce valley, against the forces of nature.

At the time of publication this morning, provincial reservoirs had gained well over 32 cubic hectometres from this episode of torrential rain. In the coming days, with runoff, the reservoirs that supply Malaga are expected to reach a positive balance of around 36 hm³. That’s roughly the equivalent of Malaga city’s water consumption over nine months. In other words, the annual supply required by half a million people.

In the early hours of Monday morning, the province's seven reservoirs barely had 94 cubic hectometres of water. And the situation was particularly critical in those supplying Malaga city (Guadalhorce, Conde de Guadalhorce and Guadalteba and, exceptionally, Casasola and Limonero). They only held 42 hm³, very little considering that the severe drought threshold (71) was surpassed months ago. And that is the great paradox: the recent gains aren’t enough to move out of this situation.

The entire Guadalhorce-Limonero system has gained practically all the water, given that La Viñuela in the Axarquía has barely risen by 2 hm³ and La Concepción, between Marbella and Istán, a reservoir that is usually very fast responding and has prolonged runoff, barely 0.6 cubic hectometres.

Late on Wednesday afternoon, the inflow curve in the reservoirs was already less marked. Nothing to do with previous hours, when 3 and 4 hm³ were entering the reservoirs in each update provided by the Junta's Hidrosur monitoring network.

If we compare the data with last year’s, this weather phenomenon has reversed the annual trend, with an increase of nearly 10 cubic hectometres. The seven reservoirs are now at an average of 20 per cent of their total capacity.

Therefore, the Guadalteba, which last night was set to exceed 25 hm³, is on its way, after many months, to unseating La Concepción as the provincial reservoir with most water. The Guadalhorce was on its way to 17 and it is worth pointing out that it had been registering its historic low for weeks, below 10. The Conde de Guadalhorce, for its part, is now over 21 cubic hectometres and has gained more than 8 in the last week. It is worth noting that Casasola, which regulates the river Campanillas, has doubled its level to around 12 cubic hectometres. This is important, given that in the drought plans, the management committee has recommended prioritising consumption from the reservoir located in Almogía, built as a defensive element against possible flooding. The same applies to Limonero, which has a direct connection to El Atabal, but does not have 4 hm³ in storage.

In terms of river floods, the day was undoubtedly calmer than the previous day, but there were three points where different levels of alert were in succession. The highest risk was at the Paredones dam (in Álora), located at the junction between the channel that connects the raw water from the reservoirs to the city of Malaga and the one that diverts water for irrigation. For most of the day it was at red level and on Tuesday it reached its highest level ever, with a depth of 5.20 metres.

Another point of risk throughout the day, in this case yellow, was the Guadalhorce river at Aljaima (Cártama). The yellow alert was also activated at times on the river Genal as it passes through Jubrique. In Aljaima there is a dam for diverting water from the river and the system of wells that Emasa used to try to save water from the reservoir during the drought. In 2012 the infrastructure was rendered unusable by a flood and it has been necessary to invest heavily to bring it up to standard.