RESTRICTIONS on water use presently in force for farmers and growers in the Axarquía may be relaxed following the rainfall of the last month. Málaga’s largest reservoir, La Viñuela, which has been on alert since last July when the level fell below 54 cubic hectometres (hm3), now holds in excess of 57 hm3.
The reservoir, which has a maximum capacity of 165.43 hm3, has been in a state of ‘pre-alert’ for two years, leading to limits being placed on water used for irrigation last December when its capacity had fallen to just 22 per cent. Farmers had cuts of almost 60 per cent imposed, so reducing their consumption from 23 to just 10 hm3of water for the year to next September.
