The rain in Spain

Guadalest reservoir

Guadalest reservoir is full again. Image by Oleksandr Osipov/Shutterstock

THE heavy rains registered throughout Alicante province in May have enabled the deactivation of the water restrictions planned for the summer in some areas.

What was officially the wettest May since 1984 has saved three essential crop irrigations before the summer and subsoil moisture is currently at 40 centimetres, which is great news just before the summer with regards to the threat of forest fires, while reservoirs including Guadalest are nearly full again after five months of drought.

Average rainfall in the north of the province, including the Marina Alta and Baixa districts, was above 150 litres per square metre last month.

Agricultural and urban supplies are guaranteed throughout Alicante at least until the end of the ‘water year’ in October, say experts, when in theory the next rainy season will begin.

In all, the rains have been a blessing for Alicante and, although it arrived late for cereals and wiped out 90 per cent of the cherry crop in certain areas, it did not cause great damage to infrastructures and has been providential for the rest of the crops and for the forest mass.

However, experts are still warning that the good situation at the moment does not mean that the province is in the all-clear regarding the drought and are calling on “a prudent and responsible use of water in the agricultural, urban, industrial and leisure sectors”, according to Jorge Olcina, director of the Climatology Laboratory at the University of Alicante.

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Written by

Glenn Wickman

Glenn has been working on English-language newspapers in Alicante Province for more than 16 years. He currently writes the local news and Social Scene events for the Costa Blanca North and Mallorca editions of the Euro Weekly News.

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