Easter downpours boost reservoirs and guarantee summer water supply
Easter downpours boost reservoirs and guarantee summer water supply
TORRENTIAL rain over Easter reaching up to 17.3 centimetres (6.8 inches) on the east coast has helped replenish ailing reservoirs which have been struggling to remain topped up after several years of either drought or well-below average rainfall.
Water sources, including rivers, wells and man-made lake-sized deposits, increased by 0.7% over the four-day holiday alone, acquiring 390 cubic hectometres, or 39,000 cubic metres.
The average household in Spain uses around 41 cubic metres, or 41,000 litres, of water per month, meaning this extra volume has proven very welcome - enough to supply just over 79 homes for the next year.
At present, the country's reservoirs hold 32,779 cubic hectometres - nearly 32.8 billion litres - and are up to 58.4% of their capacity.
This is still considerably lower than a year ago, however, when reservoirs stood at 70.78%, or 39,690 cubic hectometres, and even less than a decade ago when the nation's water reserves held 41,025 cubic hectometres, or were 73.1% full.
Reservoirs among those that rose the most over the weekend were in the Comunidad Valenciana, which went up by 2.45%, or 60 cubic hectometres - a much-needed increment, given that even now they are only 37.68% full, as it is one of the parts of the country most troubled by drought over the past six years or so.
Murcia, a region which has always suffered from water shortages, was hit by over seven centimetres (nearly three inches) of rain, which bolstered the Segura river basin considerably and means a full supply is guaranteed for farmers and residential homes over spring and summer.
Regional farming association ASAJA-Murcia says the deluge constituted 'a true relief' for members' parched fields.
