Madrid/Córdoba, (EFE) decrease in the reserve, 0.2% less than the previous Tuesday, with the Andalusian basins among those in deficit in Spain.
According to the data provided today by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (Miteco), the reservoirs located in the four basins of the Andalusian territory accumulate 2,889 cubic hectometres, of the 26,640 hm³ of water in all of Spain, compared to 2,935 hm3 from a week ago.
Specifically, the Guadalquivir basin accumulates 1,911 hm3 (23.8% of its capacity), the Guadalete-Barbate basin 417 hm3 (25.3%), the Andalusian Mediterranean basin 403 hm3 (34.3%) and Tinto-Odiel and Stones 158 hm3 (69%), which represents an average of 38.1%.
Last week, according to data from the Ministry, Guadalquivir accumulated 1,942 hm3, Guadalete-Barbate 431 hm3, Mediterránea Andaluza 404 hm3 and Tinto-Odiel y Piedras 158 hm3.
Throughout the country, the figure is less than the amount of water at this time of the year in 2022 (27,814 hm³) and well below the average of the last ten years for this period (38,205 hm³).
The rainfall this week has “considerably” affected the entire peninsula, highlights the Miteco, with a maximum of 128.8 liters per square meter that has been registered in Castellón.
Rubén Del Campo, spokesperson for Aemet, has detailed that the precipitations of the last few days represent a “very valuable” contribution of moisture to the soils, which are currently much drier than normal for this time of year, “and as the skies are cloudier and air humidity is high, evaporation is less, which favors the vegetation to reduce its water stress”.
However, the rains “have not yet been noticed in the dammed water.” The water outflows from the reservoirs have exceeded the inflows and have not been able to reverse the downward trend that the water reserve has experienced in recent months.
“The precipitation that fell between March 1, when the meteorological spring began, and until May 28 is exactly 85 liters per square meter, a figure identical to that accumulated in the entire spring of 1995, which to date is the driest of the historical series 1961″, added Del Campo.
Rainfall 27% below normal
“Therefore, we can already rule out that the spring of 2023 will be the driest in the series, since when accounting for the rainfall from May 29 to 31, this figure will be exceeded. However, it will be a spring anyway, very dry”, the expert pointed out.
Regarding the hydrological year, rainfall is around 27% below normal. From October 1 to May 28, 396 liters per square meter, the usual is 516 liters per square meter.
Del Campo has emphasized that “we are, therefore, facing one of the driest 8 hydrological years to date since 1961.”
At the moment, the most deficient basins are those of the Guadalquivir (23.8%). Followed by that of Guadalete-Barbate (25.3%), the internal ones of Catalonia (25.6%), Guadiana (31.9%). The Andalusian Mediterranean basin (34.3%) and the Segura basin (35%).
On the opposite side are the Cantabrian basins; both the eastern (90.4%), and the western (87.8%), and the internal ones of the Basque Country (81%); and then Galicia Costa, with 80.7% of its total capacity.