Benidorm and Marina Baixa have guaranteed the supply in 2018 with own resources

Benidorm and Marina Baixa have "guaranteed" in 2018 to supply water for consumption and irrigation "with resources of the region." This is clear from the report provided by the engineer director of the Marina Baixa Water Consortium and which was addressed during the meeting of the General Board of this entity, held this afternoon in the Plenary Hall of Benidorm City Hall and which has been chaired by the president of the Provincial Delegation of Alicante, César Sánchez.

The report indicates that "practically during this year, the supply has been supported by surface reserves"; that is to say, with the water stored in the marshes of Guadalest and Amadorio, which just two weeks ago were at 52.26% and at 43.12% of their capacity respectively.

But, in addition, the underground reserves also enjoy good health, since the four aquifers of the region -Algar, Beniardá, Polop and Aitana- "are totally recovered". The sum of both types of reserves corroborates that "the demand for supply and irrigation is guaranteed for the year 2018", even if there is little rain.

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, has stressed that these figures "are, in addition to be very positive, very reassuring, and even more in a context of widespread drought at national level like the one that is being experienced now, and of which La Marina Baixa region will come out gracefully in view of the state of its reservoirs and aquifers. " Nevertheless, Pérez has insisted that "despite these figures, our priority must continue to be the responsible and sustainable use of this scarce and precious resource, which is basic to our development".

Discarded the purchase of external water in all 2018, the mayor recalled that "the situation we were living only 12 months ago was very worrying and very different from today," as the Consortium approved that the municipalities made an extraordinary contribution to pay the water resources brought from other parts of Spain.

"Just a few days later - he added - the rains appeared to alleviate the situation, and a month later the heavy rains left the marshes practically to the maximum and avoided us having to buy 7.5 cubic hectometres of water".

During the same General Meeting, the budget for expenses for next year has been approved and amounts to 8,031,000 euros, about one million euros less than the previous year. In this regard, the mayor has clarified that "the perspective of spending is lower because large investments in infrastructure to alleviate the drought have been made this year." In addition, "there is a prevision of reduction of energy costs".

In the same session, the fixed operating costs for fiscal year 2018 - more than two million euros - were also approved, and the "consumption quota", which will be 0.3161 euros per cubic meter of water supplied.