Water reserves in Spain’s major western basins are moving in different directions this week: according to the latest weekly report from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) storage levels in the Tajoreservoirs have fallen to 52.6 per cent of their total capacity, while those of the Guadiana remain considerably higher, at 71.8 per cent. Over the course of a week, the Tajo basins lost 106 hm³ and the Guadiana basins 16 hm³. The figures are taken from the latest Boletín Hidrológico and were published by Europa Press .
In absolute terms, MITECO reports around 5,817 hm³ of stored water in the Tajo catchment and around 6,849 hm³ in the Guadiana catchment. Compared with last year, the Tajo is below its previous level of 57.8 per cent, but remains well above its ten-year average of 45.4 per cent. The Guadiana is above both last year’s figure of 57.7 per cent and its ten-year average of 38.2 per cent.
Nationally, the ministry puts Spain’s total water reserves at 32,062 hm³, equivalent to 57.2 per cent of usable capacity. This is 352 hm³ less than the previous week. MITECO points to unevenly distributed regional rainfall, which affects water levels differently from one catchment to another.
The weekly reports are based on measurements by state and regional water authorities and serve as a basis for water-management decisions. These include planning for agricultural irrigation, public water supplies and hydroelectric power generation. Despite the recent decline in Tajo reserves, many reservoirs in 2026 are above their respective ten-year averages. This reduces the risk of short-term shortages but does not rule them out, as consumption, inflows and weather conditions can fluctuate sharply in the short term.
The ministry has not announced any specific new measures or restrictions. Authorities in affected regions are monitoring, in particular, the impact of upcoming rainfall and the development of releases from reservoirs. Further assessments will continue to be based on MITECO’s weekly Boletín Hidrológico, which regularly updates the situation in the Tajo and Guadiana catchments and Spain’s other basins.
The latest figures relate to data collected during the current calendar week and therefore represent the most recent available position. Spain is therefore in a more comfortable overall position than last year, although marked regional differences remain a key factor in water policy.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).