Drought measures become more stringent

The Commission for Drought Management in Andalucia met on Friday February 9 and approved further measures to combat the drought.

Will you be affected?

The main restriction imposed is that a limit of 200 litres per person per day has been set for urban consumption in areas affected by the drought which includes Carboneras, Los Gallardos, Garrucha, Mojacar, Albox, Antas, Arboleas, Cuevas del Almanzora, Huercal-Overa, Taberno, Vera and Zurgena)

It is not a matter of going to people’s homes to see how much is being used, but of monitoring the volume at municipal water tanks and to limit the flow at source in the event that the volume is exceeded, so if you are a single person living in an area surrounded by people with large families, you could well lose out!.

It seems that the rain that fell recently hardly made an impact on the reservoir levels in Andalucia.

How far will 200 litres stretch?

To put 200 litres of water per person per day into perspective, baths on average hold 150 litres of water; a 5-minute shower uses around 75 – 90 litres of water, which increases to 160 litres of water for a 10-minute shower and 240 litres of water for a 15-minute shower.

And if you were thinking of inviting friends round to share your jacuzzi, bear in mind that your hot tub probably holds over 1,000 litres, sometimes as much as 1,500 litres.