Water levels of Cordoba lagoons drop amid drought

Aguilar de la Frontera, Spain, Aug 15 (EFE).- The drought in the southern Spanish province of Cordoba has reduced the water levels of the lagoons, reaching levels of 27 years ago before the 1996 heavy rainfalls.

Last week, the Zonar lagoon water level stood at 11 meters, similar to that measured in October 1995, when it was 10.99 meters, according to official figures. In February 2012, it reached a maximum of 16.67 meters.

“The wetlands are experiencing a drought like the previous one in 1996 and, consequently, the flora and fauna associated with them are also having to adapt to the circumstances,” Juan de la Cruz, director of the Comprehensive Reserves of the humid areas of the South of Cordoba said.

Six of the lagoons in Cordoba have been protected by law since 1984. Only two of them still have water, while the four that had their water dried out include Rincon in the town of Aguilar de la Frontera.

Rincon ran dry in September last year but the winter rainfall left the water level at 25 cm, compared to its maximum depth of five meters.

Amarga lagoon in the town of Lucena, which is usually around 3.5 or 4 meters, is at 1.5 now, according to de la Cruz. Its maximum depth was above seven meters.

Zonar, Rincon and Amarga are not considered permanently wet since they dry up seasonally.EFE

avc/smq/mp