A CRUCIAL new pipeline connecting Campo de Gibraltar’s water provide to the Costa del Sol has been opened, providing important respite to the normally drought-starved area.
Junta President Juanma Moreno inaugurated the 17-kilometre pipeline yesterday, which hyperlinks the San Enrique de Guadiaro reservoir in San Roque with the western distribution department of Acosol, the general public water firm serving the western Costa del Sol.
The €19.5 million infrastructure venture, funded via water invoice surcharges, will present an emergency water provide to Malaga municipalities in periods of utmost drought.
“That is strategic infrastructure not just for the inhabitants but in addition for agriculture, livestock, and business within the area,” Moreno stated through the inauguration ceremony in Castellar de la Frontera.
It comes after reservoirs in Malaga had been pressured to launch water on the weekend simply months after the area confronted vital drought ranges.
The Conde de Guadalhorce and La Concepcion reservoirs each needed to open emergency valves as they grew to become round 90% full and lacked the infrastructure to switch the water to the Axarquía to the east.
The brand new pipeline solves an issue courting again to the Nineties, when the unique system proved inefficient because it combined water for various makes use of.
The improve optimises using floor water from the Guadiaro River and incorporates water from the Charco Redondo and Guadarranque reservoirs.
Water Minister Ramon Fernández-Pacheco hailed the brand new infrastructure, which can show important sooner or later regardless of the present downpours.
“This week in 2024, we had 1,990 million litres much less water in our reservoirs. Now we’re at 44.47% capability in comparison with 27.84% final 12 months—we’ve gained 20 proportion factors,” he defined.
“Andalucía has already skilled what occurs after we calm down as a result of it begins raining—initiatives had been deserted. That gained’t occur once more. We’ll work as if not a single drop of rain has fallen.”
The pipeline is the primary section of an formidable Junta venture to ultimately join all Mediterranean Basins of Andalucía, extending subsequent to Axarquía and finally to Almería.
Moreno additionally introduced that environmental processing will start for the Gibralmedina dam venture, thought-about important for guaranteeing water provide to Campo de Gibraltar and far of the western Costa del Sol in coming many years.
Whereas the dam is asserted a venture of normal curiosity by the Spanish authorities, the Junta has agreed to draft and fund the venture at a price of €2.2 million.
At the moment, Campo de Gibraltar stays beneath extreme water shortage alert, with consumption restricted to 200 litres per particular person per day.
The regional authorities reviews that Guadalquivir reservoirs are at the moment gathering 5 million litres per hour from latest rainfall, however nonetheless want a further 500 to achieve snug ranges.
