Water is essential for life and for living.
Without water our land turns to desert, crops don't grow and we have nothing to wash with or to drink.
Hygiene goes out of the window.
[Photo: Britannica]
Recent History
In parts of Spain, especially in the south, Andalucia, water has been in short supply for several years.
Many embalses (reservoirs) were technically empty!
A sequia (drought) was declared!
[Photo: elDiario.es]
In some areas water has been rationed and/or turned off at night. Beaches on the Costa del Sol have had their beach showers closed down.
Everybody, from farmers to horticulturalists to wine-growers, was praying for rain.
Then around St Valentine's Day 2025 (February 14) all hell was let loose. Several danas hit the south and east of the country.
The worst dana was in the area around Valencia, Spain's fourth largest city by population. 306.000 people were affected, 316 died, 11.242 houses were damaged or destroyed, 141.000 vehicles were washed away and subsequently written off, and 800 km. de roads were damaged.
[Photo: 20 Minutos]
Since February there has been dana after dana, storm after storm, flood upon flood in the whole of the Iberian peninsula.
We wanted rain, and we got it!
What has happened?
Some reservoirs are so full that 1000s of litres have been released into the sea.
In Andalucia beaches have been washed away, chiringuitos wrecked, previously dry watercourses have been inundated and buildings damaged.
The A397 between Ronda and San Pedro de Alcantara (both Malaga) is blocked by a massive rockfall and a severely damagedcarriageway. The repair is expected to take six months and last well into the autumn. This breach of the quickest and most direct from the Serrania de Ronda to the coast has presented a number of problems:
- thousands of workers displace from inland to the coast every day for work
- the bus connection has gone
- the effect on tourism will be massive
Alternative routes involve long detours and increased journey times.
It's a critical situation.
In Ronda itself, where I live, my large garden has been a lake for weeks.
I cleared all the acequias and arroyos of vegetation and other blockages, and now water rushes constantly out of my garden. My somewhat brown-looking lawn hasn't seen so much water in the 15 years I have lived in our finca.
The pedania where I live is an agricultural and wine-growing area. My neighbours all work the land in some way.
They've been crying out for rain for the last seven years. The last time we had heavy rain for a sustained period was in 2018. Now, they've got what they wanted - big style!
Complaints
Now they have started to complain, that the rain is too much and has become destructive. Their fields are flooded, crops are damaged and they cannot work the land because it's turned to mud.
"¡Basta con el agua!" they chorus.
I agree. It's a paradox. Yes, we needed rain, but not this much all in one go!
The aftermath
Once the rains stop, there'll be lots of clearing up to do.
Weeds are a problem - you can almost see them growing!
Heavy rain means damage to infrastructure and wooden garden furniture.
Several villages in the Serrania de Ronda have suffered significant damage.
Parts of Ronda, the capital of the comarca; Benaojan; Jimera de Libar; Cortes de la Frontera; Cañada del Real Tesoro.
Jimera de Libar [CharryTV.com]
And what about the effect on tourism, the main industry hereabouts? People are less inclined to travel when the weather is bad; bars and restaurants are frequented less; nobody goes to a beach where it's raining heavily.
Visitors do not walk, hike, bird-watch, rock-climb, hang-glide, cycle, do "canyoning" or take balloon flights in the rain.
Some potential visitors decide not to come and cancel their bookings!
Personal
As for me, and despite the problems outlined earlier, I shall survive. People assume that I emigrated to Andalucia for the climate (normally the region enjoys 300 days of sunshine per year), but that is not the case.
Whilst I like fine weather, it's not that important for me. I'm a reluctant sun-bather, although an occasional excursion to the beach does not come amiss and it's only an hour or so away.
300 days of sun [Photo: Spain Guides]
I came to live in Spain for the ambiente; for the thrill of living in a relaxed and beautiful country; because I've always felt at home here since I first visited 55 years ago; because I love the food; because my money stretches a lot further in Spain; and because I'm a fluent Spanish-speaker, which "oils the wheels" in every way.
***
I consider myself fortunate. From humble beginnings I am now living the dream in comparative luxury.
I am the grandson of a Welsh coal-miner. My dad escaped the "pit" and was sent to England to stay with relatives, first in London and then in Barnstaple, Devon. When the Second World War came he joined the RAF and was based at RAF Chivenor.
He met and married my mum in 1948 and I was their first-born. We moved to a brand-new council house in the North Devon town for three years, then mum and dad bought a terraced house, did it up, sold it, bought the rental house where my gran was living, sold that a couple of years later and moved to Exeter, the county town of Devon, where they bought and sold two houses, improving their lot every time.
I went to state schools (ie free), to university on a full grant, became a teacher then a schools inspector/adviser.
Exeter [Photo: Martin & Co]
When I retired early, I moved to Spain and now live in the countryside just outside Ronda in a big finca, with a swimming pool and more than a hectare of land (10,000 square metres). I would never have achieved that in the UK.
I'm a pensioner and so is the Hausfrau (my second wife of 15 years is German). Yet, in addition to our domicilio (main home) we have two further houses in Montejaque (Malaga), a village of 940 inhabitants, 20 minutes from Ronda. We earn a modest supplementary income from holiday rentals.
Rita on the roof terrace at Casa Rita [Karl Smallman] Casa Real [Paul Whitelock]
An added bonus to living in southern Spain, is that Vladimir Putin's nuclear weapons do not currently reach Spain, should the worst come to the worst.
We're both well into our 70s and we have decided that 2025 is the year we plan to travel, before we no longer can.
Three trips are already in place, but I have a sort of "bucket list" for other places we'd like to visit, mainly in Europe, although Canada, Cuba, New Zealand and the Philippines are also under consideration.
In theory, given good health, we have all the time in the world!
Endword
The rain we so badly needed has come, but that's enough for now.
As for our travel plans, click here:
2025 - Our year of travel - Eye on Spain
Other links:
At last – good weather! It’s pouring down! - Help me, Ronda
BREAKING NEWS - DANA – Who or what is it?
The biggest car scrapyard in Spain's history - Help me, Ronda
“The Rain in Spain …..”
© Pablo de Ronda
Photos:
20 Minutos, AS, Britannica, CharryTV.com, elDiario.es, Karl Smallman, Martin & Co, Paul Whitelock, Spain Guides
Tags:
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