Showers on the beaches of Malaga, in service from this date this summer

The City Council of Málaga, through the Environmental Sustainability Area, has announced the lifting of all restrictions on the use of drinking water that were still active in the city due to the drought. Therefore, among other things, they have indicated that beach showers will be operational from June 15.

The decision to lift restrictions comes under the Order of April 28, 2025, from the Junta de Andalucía, published in the Official Gazette of the Junta de Andalucía (BOJA) on May 8, which changes the status of the Guadalhorce-Limonero water system from severe scarcity to moderate scarcity (pre-alert).

Thus, the limitations on use outlined in Decree 178/2021 and included in the municipal decree of November 16, 2023, are no longer valid. These restrictions prohibited the use of water resources suitable for human consumption for street cleaning; filling of private pools; watering of gardens, public or private parks, and golf courses; car washing outside authorized establishments; ornamental fountains that do not have a closed water circuit, as well as public showers and sprayers.

As indicated in the aforementioned decree, these provisions would apply as long as the exceptional drought situation with severe scarcity remained in effect.

In this regard, they recalled the decree issued by the mayor, Francisco de la Torre, on January 29, 2025, which, given the improvement in the hydrological situation and following the favorable resolution from the Junta de Andalucía, established a series of exceptions to these water-saving measures implemented due to the drought. These allowed the activation of the 329 drinking fountains distributed throughout the city, the survival watering of public and private green areas once a week, and the refilling of pools, among others.

Now, the rest of the limitations also expire. Thus, the Beach Area plans to activate the beach showers starting next June 15, coinciding with the start of the high season. In this sense, they have reminded that foot showers have been operational since Easter.

The lifting of these restrictions remains conditional on continuing to comply with the maximum allocation of 225 liters per inhabitant per day agreed by the Drought Management Commission in the Andalusian Mediterranean Basins at the meeting on March 25.

In this respect, the reality is that the measures adopted by the City Council in the last two years to reduce the use of drinking water, along with citizen cooperation, have allowed urban use in Málaga to average 169 liters per inhabitant per day.

Despite the improvement in the hydrological situation, the City Council urges citizens, organizations, companies, and other social groups to continue using water in a rational, responsible, and cooperative manner, given its scarcity.

DROUGHT INFORMATION

On the other hand, they have reminded that all public service information about the drought situation can be consulted in a specific section available on the website of the Municipal Water Company (Emasa).

Through https://www.emasa.es/informacion-sequia/, citizens can access a space with different sections that include the limitations on use contemplated in the current regulations, the updated status of the reservoirs supplying the city, ongoing awareness campaigns, and tips for saving water at home.

Additionally, all the measures that the City Council has been adopting to reduce consumption—such as gradually lowering the water pressure injected into the city's networks, the emergency plan for repairing conduits to reduce losses, monitoring large consumers to detect possible leaks in internal pipelines, or extending the use of groundwater for watering green areas and street cleaning—as well as making alternative contributions to the reservoirs through greater use of wells in Bajo Guadalhorce or enhancing the use of reclaimed waters, are detailed.

In terms of awareness, the 'We Need to Talk' campaign remains active, using relationship metaphors to highlight the importance of water in everyday life.

Furthermore, Emasa carries out various training and information actions on responsible water use throughout the year, including visits to the El Atabal water treatment station by organizations and educational centers, organizing workshops and talks, and publishing tips both on the entity's website and through social media. Additionally, this specific section includes a chapter dedicated to actions that can be adopted at home to save water.