Water shortage problems persist

ALICANTE Province is continuing to endure its worst drought for 25 years with a rainfall deficit of 50 per cent.

The drought, first felt in 2013, has progressively worsened and experts say the future outlook is not much brighter.  With no promise of steady autumn rain, the Confederacion Hidrografica del Jucar (CHJ) has declared a state of emergency in the River Serpis basin and the Marina Baja.

Until now the Marina Alta has been less affected but even Javea with its own desalination plant has had intermittent cuts in some parts of the town. This was due to exceptionally high demand in the first fortnight of August, said a spokesman for the municipally-run Amjasa, which provides Javea’s domestic supply and has called for a rational use of domestic water.  

Javea is relatively well-off for water thanks to the desalination plant but the situation is worse for neighbouring Benitachell, Gata and Teulada.

At the beginning of July, Javea Town Hall agreed to transfer water each day but this has not been arriving because of the demand in August.

“The agreement was dependent on covering Javea’s own needs and there has been a chain of problems with the Pedreguer artesian wells that also supplies us with water and we weren’t receiving enough ourselves to be able to send supplies to Benitachell, Gata and Teulada” said Javea’s mayor Jose Chulvi.  

As the summer population dwindles, demand is decreasingand with the desalination plant functioning day and night, Javea’s problems will be solved. Overall the situation is not encouraging, said Professor Jorge Olcina of Alicante University’s Climatology Institute.  “Rainfall will be lower than usual this autumn,” he warned.