ANDALUCIA’S drought crisis might finally be coming home to roost as dozens of families in a small community on the Costa del Sol have been left without water for up to five days.
Residents of Valle Romano, in the hills above Estepona, have complained of being unable to shower, use the toilet or even keep their children clean.
The problems began on Monday this week, with some houses able to receive a dribble of water from their taps and others not even getting a drop.
The picturesque community, which boasts stunning views of the coast, is home to over a thousand people, with many elderly and retirees. It hosts a large golf course and a number of hotels.
“At first, Hidralia [the water company] said the problems were because of burst pipes or pump,” said local resident Alba Woodard, 34.
“They said they didn’t know when it would be fixed – it could be weeks.”
However, Hidralia later hanged their tune and announced that the water cut off was due to a ‘lack of water’ in the storage tanks.
Woodard, a property manager born in Bristol but raised in Estepona, complained it was ‘unfair to just cut off water to all these houses.’
“Down in Estepona, in the town, the water is flowing freely and they’re having a jolly. While up here, it’s awful.
“I have a three-year-old girl. Kids are messy, they spill fruit juice on the floor, they get sticky. I can’t even wash her hair.
“Is this the beginning of what’s to come?”
Local residents have reported seeing Hidralia vans racing furiously around the steep and hilly community, and the water company has announced that the issue should be resolved ‘by the end of the day’ (Friday).
The water shut off has come in a week in which Spain has – once again – broken its record temperatures for the month.
Thursday, January 25 saw an historic high of 29.6C in Chelva, Valencia, while Albacete, Cadiz, Cordoba, Jaen, Granada, Huelva, Logroño, Malaga, Cadiz and Teruel also broke their records.
Meanwhile, Andalucia’s reservoir levels are critically low, despite recent rainfall.
Across Malaga, water levels stand at 15% – a 0.2% drop even after three days of rainfall – while in Cadiz lakes are at just 15.32%.
In Almeria, water supplies are at a disastrous 9.38%.
The stark numbers come after Junta president Juanma Moreno warned the region needs 30 straight days of rain to avoid severe water cuts this summer.
However, the record high temperatures are forecast to hang around for the rest of January – with ZERO rain predicted.
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