Sevilla lifts water restrictions following heavy spring rains
The Andalucía province has officially moved out of a state of alarm
El Gergal Reservoir, Sevilla
There’s finally some refreshing news for the one million or so residents of the province of Seville as all of the water restrictions which have been in place are to be lifted. This means that households will be allowed to fill their swimming pools this summer and the limitations placed on drinking water will be removed.
The Andalusian capital has gone through every known process as a result of the years-long drought parching the region, including a state of emergency, a state of alert (which has been in place since February) and a state of short-term shortage, which was activated at the beginning of April.
But thanks to the unexpected spring storms and abundant rainfall, supplier Emasesa has confirmed that Sevilla can return to normal for the remainder of the year.
According to head of Emasesa, Juan de la Rosa, recent precipitation has topped up Sevilla’s reservoirs to 67% of their capacity, putting the province above the pre-alert threshold of 324 cubic hectometres of water. This, he assured, is “sufficient to keep us in a normal situation for the next few months, at least until the end of the year”.
However, he cautioned that “it will be the rains of the remainder of spring and next autumn that will determine how much longer we will continue as normal”.
But as of this week and for the moment at least, Sevillians will no longer be prohibited from using drinking water to fill swimming pools, ponds and fountains, and they can also resume using garden hoses to wash cars, clean patios etc. In the public sphere, workers will once again be allowed to wash the streets and water plants and gardens.
Mr de la Rosa stressed that residents themselves have been “key to overcoming this drought”, which has lasted more than five years, the longest episode of chronic water shortage in the area known to date.
In this regard, he has pointed out that although it is no longer necessary to continue with the restrictive measures imposed, it is necessary “to continue considering water as a scarce resource and use it in a responsible manner, avoiding excessive expenses and consumption”.
In fact, consumption levels have reached 105 litres per person per day, the lowest ever recorded by the public water company.
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Image: Emasesa
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