Positive Water saving habits benefits Marbella

Demand for water has started to fall In 2006 savings of 24% were made

While the special drought decree remains in force in other parts of the province, it only lasted six months on the western Costa del Sol (from November 2005 to June 2006). Nevertheless statistics show that the residents of Marbella are aware of the ongoing need to save water and continue to turn their taps on and off with responsibility. Before the drought decree came into force the water consumption figures for the Marbella area were quite alarming. According to the water company Acosol, from 1999 to 2005 consumption in Marbella went up at a rate of between seven and ten per cent every year. Now, however, the trend has reversed and demand has stabilised, even though the restrictions are no longer in force. In the three months just before the decree was announced the municipality used 23 cubic hectometres; the latest figure available, for July, August and September 2007, was 21.2. The water company started to notice the reduction in demand in 2006 when savings of 24 per cent were recorded.

Awareness

According to Acosol the reduction in water consumption can be put down to a “greater awareness” among the local citizens of the need to save water. When the restrictions were in force the people corrected some of their bad habits, and the fact that the decree was lifted over a year ago did not mean that people went back to their old ways. “We’re on the right track”, added Acosol sources.

Today, despite the fact that 35 per cent of the water supply is lost due to the bad condition of the mains infrastructure, the situation is much better than it was two years ago. La Concepción reservoir is 27 per cent full and the desalination plant is only working at five-eighths of its total capacity.

“The lifting of the restrictions has gone to show that people are using less water because they are more aware of the need to save. They didn’t change out of obligation, but out of responsibility”, pointed out local resident José María Lavado last week. “You only have to go for a walk to notice that people are washing their cars less in the streets and less water is wasted”, he added.

Meanwhile local florist Paqui Vilches explains how she has not gone back to her old habits: “I, personally, still do what I did when the decree was in force. I turn the shower off while I’m soaping myself and I don’t put the washing machine on until I’ve got a full load”, she explains. “And I think other people in general do the same”, she adds.

Antonio Viejo knows full well that water is a scarce commodity. He can still remember waiting outside his house to buy it. “We’ve no choice but to look after our water and I think it is true that people have got used to using as little as possible”, he points out.

Written by José Antonio García, courtesy of http://www.surinenglish.com/

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