anyone's garden struggling with drought?!

[gavilan]

here is info re Alcaucin hose pipe ban summer 2021
https://www.diariosur.es/axarquia/alcau ... 04-nt.html

[Wicksey]

Competa has had similar restrictions, I'm sure on more than one occasion.

[El Cid]

Historically that may well have happened, but the Vinuela levels are currently pretty much the lowest ever, so why are there no restrictions in place now?

Sid

[gavilan]

why no restrictions in place? ... cos Spanish farmers are only interested in short term gain ... and expats want to water their gardens continuously!

[El Cid]

Some info about the work being done to improve the supply to the area.

https://www.surinenglish.com/malaga/eme ... 02-nt.html

Sid

[gavilan]

sorry Sid but my response is 'blah blah blah' ... meanwhile more water will be needed to enable newly planted trees to grow around Vinuela reservoir ... see following article/proposal ... beggar's belief!!!

https://www.axarquiaplus.es/la-diputaci ... -arbustos/

[ashtondav]

Ridiculous! No more permits for mangoes and avocados until we get some suitably tropical rain for two years. And don't get me started on golf courses...

[gavilan]

totally agree with you ashtondave ... well said!!!

[Wicksey]

Ridiculous! No more permits for mangoes and avocados until we get some suitably tropical rain for two years. And don't get me started on golf courses...

Do they need a permit? I would say the same if it was required (I see a machine working on the opposite hillside to us this week, preparing for more planting I think).

[olive]

You certainly don’t need a permit to plant more olive trees. Cannot imagine a permit is needed to plant other types of trees on agricultural land.

As I keep saying, it would be a brave person to try and stop a farmer earning a living. Rural towns and villages have their prosperity or otherwise based on agriculture. Less money coming in equals less spend on consumables and so on. As an aside olive farmers are going to Seville end of this week to protest about high price of materials and consumables and low price of oil. National protest in Madrid March 20th.

I am afraid we are stuck with increased demand for water. I read in Ideal that the government are convening a drought ‘ disaster’ committee later this week. Maybe they will magic up some pipes.

[gavilan]

is it impossible to think of ways famers could earn a living without planting water hungry avocados and mangos?! ... and anyway aren't they shooting themselves in the foot planting such trees when the future of water availability is doubtful?

[Lavanda]

Maybe the mangos and avocados attract subsidies and once those are pocketed the farmer moves on to the next subsidy attracting thing?

[gavilan]

dont think there are subsidies ... as I understand it ... agrobusinesses, like Trops and Sigfrido, give saplings to individual farmers on condition that said farmers only sell fruit to said businesses ...

[gavilan]

just read in Axarquia Plus that Velez-Malaga is to receive 3 million euros to reactivate the tramway there ...methinks that money would be better used to encourage farmers to stop planting water hungry avocados etc and plant/grow more sustaniable crops

[Free at Last]

just read in Axarquia Plus that Velez-Malaga is to receive 3 million euros to reactivate the tramway there ...methinks that money would be better used to encourage farmers to stop planting water hungry avocados etc and plant/grow more sustaniable crops

And what's worse is that the money is only for Phase 1 of the tramway which stops at the southern end of town. Phase 2, which continues on to the old train station next to the bus station at the northern end, was built but never brought into service and still won't be under these plans. So they will have to keep the local buses running as well as the tram, there are not enough passengers to sustain both which is why the tram lost so much money in the first place, hence they will be back to square one very quickly having wasted another fortune.

The money would be far better spent on measures to improve water supplies (a new desalination plant which could provide water for irrigation, for example). I have been saying for over a year that I cannot understand why water use restrictions had not already been introduced, the policy seems to have been "we will keep our fingers crossed that rain comes" and precious little more.

[gavilan]

Alcaucin municipality last July did make a hose pipe ban, no filling of pools nor washing cars ... dont know if it is still in force ... no update on their website ... certain irony when my neighbour's bonfire got out of control, I had to use my hose for an hour and a half to get flames under control!!!

[Lavanda]

Yikes! I am surprised you are allowed bonfires when you have such a dire situation with your water. We are only allowed bonfires with a permit from the town Hall and then only after the Autumn rains and until around May. However, if it does not rain the the Spring the licences are cut short at any time — even as early as March.

[Wicksey]

I had to laugh Lavanda, I can't imagine anyone around here applying for a permit for a bonfire. They are continuous here (usually just in time for me to hang out my washing). The other day a family up the hill had set several bonfires on their terraces. We were watching them put crates of vine cuttings on them, and I do mean the crates and all! The stench of burning plastic was awful.

When they clear out their greenhouses of the old tomato/whatever plants they are all burned, along with any bits of old plastic off the greenhouse too by the smell of it. Christmas before last we had to call out the bomberos at 5am as a neighbour had cut down his olive trees (you guessed it, to grow mangoes), set them alight then went home. The wind was ferocious that week so of course the flames were advancing on our house pretty rapidly.

[Lavanda]

That is simply crazy. Extremadura may be the back of beyond and West of Asia but at least we have some bonfire sense.

[gavilan]

been an interesting afternoon here ... dont know how fire started ... or where helicopters were managing to find water from ...

https://www.axarquiaplus.es/declarado-u ... -alcaucin/