The Tajo Hydrographic Confederation (CHT) has published monthly historical precipitation percentile data for the 2024-2025 hydrological year. In this publication it is pointed out that the average precipitation in the month of December has been the lowest in the historical series in this basin.
Specifically, it indicates that this precipitation has been 5.9 liters/m2, which corresponds to a 0th percentile“which means that all December months in the historical series exceed this amount of accumulated monthly rainfall,” indicates the CHT.
The hydrological year that began on October 1, continues to accumulate precipitation deficit also in January and the countryside is already looking at the sky with concern hoping that the rains will arrive soon as well as the snow in the mountain areas in the headwaters.
However, the stored water in the reservoirs of the Tagus basin it increases compared to last week and with 6004.33 hm3 they are at 54.33% of their capacity, according to data released this week by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. The reserve of the Extremaduran reservoirs exceeds that figure, standing at 56.2%, with 3554.61 hm3. The Alcántara reservoir, the largest volume in the basin, stores 1501.11 hm3.
The CHT is currently developing a review of the “Special Drought Plan for the Spanish part of the Tajo Hydrographic Demarcation” (September 2024) and point out as the basis of the plan that drought is a non-predictable natural phenomenon that occurs mainly due to a lack of precipitation that gives rise to a significant temporary decrease in available water resources. He adds that “Drought is a normal and recurring component of the climate and, as such, it must be managed within the framework of planning.”
Thus, among the goals Specific to the Special Drought Plan includes guaranteeing the availability of water required to ensure the health and life of the population; minimize the effects of the drought on the state of water bodies and minimize the negative impacts on economic activities, “taking into account the prioritization of uses established in water legislation and in basin hydrological plans.”
In turn, the Plan includes a series of operational objectives such as defining mechanisms to detect drought situations as soon as possible; set the prolonged drought scenario and define the actions to be applied, in addition to ensuring transparency and public participation in the development and application of the plans.
The text is a proposal document that continues its processing for the definitive consolidation of the text.
#average #precipitation #December #Tagus #basin #lowest #historical #series
