Mijas turns to xeriscaping and now has a hundred low water consumption spaces

Although the water scenario in the province of Málaga is nothing like that of 2024, the Mijas City Council continues to adopt measures to ... save water. This summer, the push buttons on the showers and footbaths at Mijas beaches operate only for 15 seconds as a control measure, and now the City Council is further expanding the list of public spaces modified so that they do not require continuous watering. This is called xeriscaping, a technique that uses sustainable materials and plant species capable of thriving with little water, and Mijas already counts more than a hundred spaces using this technique.

Xeriscaping is the practice of designing, creating, and maintaining gardens adapted to dry conditions with the aim of "achieving maximum sustainability," explains Daniel Gómez, the councilor for Parks and Gardens. It involves reducing the need for water while maintaining their aesthetic function, thus preserving the environment. In Mijas, in addition to plants with low water needs, elements such as pebbles, wood, pine bark, or recycled glass are used to decorate the selected areas.

As Gómez explained, in recent months action has been taken at various points in the municipal area such as the roundabout giving access to Calahonda. Interventions have also been made at the roundabouts leading up to Mijas Pueblo, on Miguel Hernández street, at the entrance to La Cala from Marbella, in Lagarejo, at the side of Pueblo Don Silverio, in the area known as Puerto de Mijas, at the fountains accessing Las Lagunas Theater, and at Virgen de la Peña square.

"We cannot let our guard down"

Currently, municipal employees are working on the access to the new pool in La Cala and also at the roundabout accessing this urban center, and they will continue with new spaces. As the councilor for Parks and Gardens points out, "even though we have had a good water year, we cannot let our guard down."

Xeriscaping, a term that comes from combining the Greek word for "dry" (xeros) with gardening, appeared in the United States in the 1970s as a result of a drought.