Alex Trelinski
FUENGIROLA has become the first municipality on the Costa del Sol to cut domestic drinking water supplies due to the severe drought that is affecting the Andalucia region.
Starting from Monday, January 15, for an indefinite period, most homes in Fuengirola will be without water at night between midnight and 7.00am.
The measure will be applied every day of the week, except Saturday nights ‘so as not to harm family life and hospitality activity’ according to Fuengirola City Council.
The local Gestagua water company will reduce water pressure to the whole city’s supply meaning that homes located in high areas and that do not have cisterns will be the most severely affected.
The City Council says it has no estimate of the total number of households that, due to the pressure reduction, will end up with no water.
Infrastructure councillor Jose Sanchez said: “It is a decision that we do not like to make, but that we have had no choice but to execute due to the lack of rain.”
He called for citizen collaboration reminding residents that the drought had forced restrictions since the summer and awareness campaigns had been launched by the City Council before reaching this dramatic point.
Head of Gestagua, Enrique Sanchez, said that his company are studying the different underground water currents that run through the city to see if another water source can be found.
Sanchez also focused on the importance of having a cistern to deal with overnight water pressure reductions, ‘because only those buildings that have one will not see their supply affected’.
He also appealed to all residents not to store water unnecessarily.
“If we do so, we will be harming those who do not have devices like cisterns and will cause future measures to be even more severe,” said Sanchez.
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