The unusual spate of rain that has affected La Palma in recent months may have put a big dampener on holidays taken on the island but the farming community is delighted at the consequences.
The most recent downpours at the end of March – which have continued into April – followed a lengthy sequence of wet days during the month, and even significant snowfalls on La Palma’s highest parts on a few occasions. The island authorities say that the accumulation of water has filled local reservoirs to levels not seen for a long time, with several now at 100% capacity and the bulk at least at 50%. Reserves now total well over two million cubic metres of water and mean that farmers are unlikely to have to draw on other sources to keep their crops flourishing beyond the summer and possibly for the rest of the year.
The picture is similar in many parts of neighbouring Tenerife, which have also endured an unusually prolonged spell of wet weather since the turn of the year, particularly March. The 21 publicly-owned reservoirs are at 65% capacity overall, with some such as those in Buenavista del Norte and La Matanza completely full and Tegueste’s Valle Molina – where sediment was visible at its bottom not so long ago – at 96% and offering a sight few locals remember.
The unseasonal March downpours brought a 13% increase in Tenerife’s reserves in the space of just one month and levels of stored water are now a full quarter up on the same time last year.
Photo: Balten
