HE Dam water in the country has been falling for 8 weeks in a rowDespite heavy rains affecting the entire peninsula in recent days, a situation that failed to reverse the downward trend of the reserve, is now at 47.5%, 0.2% less than on the previous Tuesday.
According to data provided today by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (Miteco), the reservoirs currently accumulate 26,640 cubic hectares (hm³) of water, Fewer figures than the amount of water stored at this time of year in 2022 (27,814 hm³) and well below the average of the last ten years (38.205 hm³) for this period.
Miteco underlines that precipitation this week has “significantly” affected the entire Peninsula, with a maximum of 128.8 liters per square meter recorded in Castellón.
Aemet spokesperson Rubén Del Campo said the rainfall over the past few days represents an “invaluable” contribution of moisture to soils that are now much drier than normal for this time of year, “and that the skies are cloudier and the humidity is higher, evaporation is less, which means that vegetation is reduced.” It helps reduce water stress”.
But, rains “not yet noticed in dam water”: Outflows from the reservoirs exceeded the inflows and could not reverse the downward trend of the water reserve in recent months.
“From March 1, when the meteorological spring begins, to May 28, the precipitation is exactly 85 liters per square meter, which is the same number that accumulated throughout the spring of 1995; the series,” Del Campo added.
“So we can already rule out that this figure will be exceeded when the rainfall between May 29-31 is taken into account, but the spring of 2023 will be the driest period of the series, as there will be a spring of all kinds. It is very dry”, the expert noted.
Regarding the hydrological year, precipitation is approximately 27% below normal, with 396 liters of precipitation per square meter recorded from October 1 to May 28, where the normal is 516 liters per square meter.
Del Campo stressed that “Thus, we are facing one of the 8 driest hydrological years to date, since 1961.“.
Currently, the basins with the largest deficits are Guadalquivir (23.8%), followed by Guadalete-Barbate (25.3%), Catalonia (25.6%), Guadiana (31.9%), Andalusia Mediterranean basin. (34.3%) and the Segura basin (35%).
On the opposite side are the Cantabrian basins; The eastern (90.4%), western (87.8%) and interior parts of the Basque Country (81%); and then Galicia Costa with 80.7% of its total capacity.
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Contact address of the environment department: [email protected]