The abundant episode of rains in May, which will probably last until mid-June, has removed the official declaration of extraordinary drought to which the Segura basin seemed doomed. The president of the basin organization, Mario Urrea, points out that if this unusually humid period did not exist, the Region of Murcia would have entered a drought alert in July.
In the same sense, the territorial delegate of the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), Juan Esteban Palenzuela, indicates that this month of May will be the wettest in at least the last 83 years, since 1941. The provisional average rainfall recorded so far is 115 liters per square meter. In this way, the months of May 1959 and 1976, which until now were considered the wettest in this historical series, have been exceeded, when 103 and 98 liters per square meter were recorded.
The data
-
115
liters per square meter has registered the Aemet in May, a record for 83 years. -
198
liters per square meter have been collected by the CHS rain gauges since October, more than half in May. -
0.387
is the Global Scarcity Index of the basin. Below 0.3 it is on alert, and from 0.5 it is normal.
The president of the CHS points out that we must wait to find out the global impact of this stormy period, since until Tuesday it had not rained much in the header area. The data indicates that the reservoirs in the basin have seen their reserves grow by 15 hectometres in the past week. Urrea considers that it will be necessary to know the evolution in August and September. At the moment, the basin remains on pre-alert.
More rain than in seven months
Since the hydrological year began in October, 198 liters per square meter have fallen, according to the CHS rain gauge network, of which more than half correspond to May. In the month that has already ended, rainfall has reached 105.6 liters per square meter, which is equivalent to a volume of 2,033 cubic hectometres. The Global Scarcity Index of the Segura basin stands at 0.387, still far from the 0.5 hydrological normality. Below 0.3, an alert situation is entered.
The president of the CHS points out that, if these rains had not occurred, the basin would perhaps have gone on alert in July
Mario Urrea, accompanied by the Water Commissioner, Francisco Javier García, met yesterday with the Irrigation Community of Calasparra and Cieza of the Tajo-Segura Transfer, headed by its president, Miguel Martínez, reports the CHS. The irrigators showed their interest in the situation of water resources in the Segura basin for the planning of the next irrigation campaign. As it has been doing, the CHS advised maximum prudence in water consumption since, despite the recent rains, one must be aware that one is in a period of prolonged drought.
Regarding the emergency wells, Urrea explained that the CHS is waiting to close the administrative and environmental procedures to have everything ready in the coming months in case they have to resort to opening them.
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