STORM Francis has officially ended the drought crisis for this year, replenishing Andalucia’s reservoirs with enough water to guarantee a restriction-free summer.
Regional authorities confirmed today that reserves have surged, securing domestic supplies for the upcoming high season and removing the threat of cuts that plagued the region each summer.
The latest data shows a massive upward trend, with Andalucia’s reservoirs now sitting at 48.16% capacity.
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To put this recovery in perspective, at this time last year, levels were at 34.49%.
In the last week alone, the storms dumped an additional 129 billion litres of water into the region’s network.
For context, the entire city of Malaga consumes approximately 54 billion litres per year.
This means the rain from the last seven days alone has provided enough water to supply the capital of the Costa del Sol for more than two years.
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The most dramatic recovery is in Cadiz province, particularly in the Campo de Gibraltar.
The Guadarranque reservoir, which supplies the luxury enclave of Sotogrande and local industries, is now at 100% capacity.
The nearby Bornos reservoir is also effectively full, sitting at 94%.
Cadiz province captured 82 billion litres in just one week, completely reversing the deficit that sparked fears for local golf courses and agriculture earlier this winter.
In Malaga province, reservoirs collected 30 billion litres in the last seven days, bringing the overall capacity to 56.9%.
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The La Concepcion reservoir, serving Marbella and the western Costa del Sol, received a significant boost, securing the supply for the tourist hub.
Even La Viñuela in the Axarquia, which has suffered critical shortages in recent years, recorded an increase of 2 billion litres —a rise of 1.2%, bringing it to 44.8% capacity.
While officials note that La Viñuela remains lower than desired, the wider regional picture confirms the end of the severe drought cycle.
In the Guadalquivir basin, covering Sevilla and the interior, levels are now so high that dams including Melonares have begun releasing water to prevent overflowing.
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Andalucia’s largest reservoir, Iznájar, is recovering slower than its coastal counterparts, sitting at just 22.9% capacity.
Perhaps in part due to its massive size, it recorded a rise of just 0.8% this week, collecting 7 billion litres of water to bring its total reserves to 211 billion litres.
On the Costa Tropical, the situation is looking robust with the key Rules and Beznar dams sitting at a combined average of nearly 66.5% capacity.
The Rules dam currently holds 72 billion litres (64.9% full), while Beznar sits at 69.8%, with both reservoirs remaining stable this week after filling up earlier in the month.
However, the storms failed to alleviate the crisis in the far east of the region, where Almeria’s reservoirs remain critically low.
The Beninar and Cuevas del Almanzora dams are languishing at just 7.1% combined capacity, holding a total of only 16 billion litres between them, showing 0% growth this week.
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