Water fight continues

THE fight for water continues in Los Velez as the local Water Defence association has announced it will be making its views and requests clear to the regional and national governments this year.

The association, which gathered members last year who all strongly believe drilling and lettuce farms to the south are to blame for the aquifers which used to supply the area drying out, has stated its intention to continue demanding answers.

A report presented by the Hydrographic Confederations in November claimed that the lack of water suffered in Velez Blanco, Velez Rubio and Chirivel among other local villages was due to the drought in the same way that the rest of the province has been affected.However, the association refused to accept this reasoning and blamed lettuce farms which have been tapping into the aquifers for more than 10 years. The farms, the association members insist, are taking far more water than they are licensed to take and this is drying out the whole area.

The Los Molinos spring, which supplies local municipalities, has seen its volume decrease drastically, especially over the last two years. Whereas in the past the spring produced more than 100 litres of water per second, this is now down to 40.