Overview
- This week several municipalities including Betanzos, O Porriño, Rois, A Guarda, Lalín and Forcarei moved from voluntary appeals to mandatory bans on filling private pools, washing vehicles, watering gardens and other nonessential uses to protect supply for human consumption.
- The Confederación Hidrográfica del Miño-Sil placed multiple sub-basins, including Miño Baixo, in prealerta because March–July rainfall was about half normal, July totals were near 9 L/m², and river flows ran roughly 45% below typical levels.
- Councils have ordered operational steps such as pressure reductions in parts of networks, intensified leak detection and repairs, and separate monitoring of large consumers to cut demand and preserve reservoir levels.
- Authorities warn that if consumption does not fall they may impose more severe measures; some towns have already tested brief night-time interruptions to let storage recover and keep daytime supply running.
- Local leaders stress the measures are preventive and will remain in force until hydrological indicators improve, and they urge residents to save water by delaying nonessential uses, fixing leaks and reusing water where possible.