Drought fears in Axarquia

DROUGHT fears in Axarquia as farmers predict a tough summer ahead

Farmers in Malaga’s Axarquia have already voiced their worries about summer 2020, as the scant rainfall so far this year has depleted water reserves in the La Viñuela reservoir, meaning a very real possibility of drought in the hotter months. The area is the main supplier of mangoes and avocados in Europe, two crops which must have water to thrive.
“We regret that year after year we find ourselves in the same situation. We are concerned because the autumn is passing without hardly any rain”, expressed Miguel Gutiérrez, the secretary of the Spanish Tropical Association, aware that this hydrological year has started“ worse than the last ”.
The La Viñuela reservoir is the biggest in Malaga and can hold 164 cubic hectometres of water; currently, that level is at 44, less than 27% of its total capacity.
“We have saved the mango harvest that has just ended, but now the avocado harvest is beginning, which lasts until April. This is much more sensitive to the lack of water, and the problem is that if it dries up, the plant is lost”, Gutiérrez explained.
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