Laura Duckett
AXARQUIA’S water company has committed to recycling and reducing consumption.
They have pledged to improve water purification facilities at La Vinuela reservoir and waste water from the coastal municipalities.
They are also planning on searching for new water sources that will provide water in the medium to long term.
A study conducted by the Richwater project will also test the suitability of purified water for crop irrigation by applying innovative technology.
Consumption of illegal water supplies, primarily irrigation for crops, should be the first priority. Much land is being back to farming of water intensive crops, such as mangoes and avocados (because of the recession) so much stricter water inspections are needed. Water supplies from lakes should also not be going to Malaga city, as they do now, but should be used for local people. There should also be a way to distribute water between different areas on demand. All common sense stuff, alas Spain does not seem to possess much of this. Some municipalities only have a single policeman, so illegal farming practices run rife. There is no good news on the horizon for this problem. Many people say that low childbirth rates are killing villages, but it will actually be lack of water that is the problem.