just seen (13.11) that the News breaking news headline says the 16 Algarve mayors have decided to start water rationing next week.

Do you know in which area these mayors are? and what areas are covered by the rationing??

just says 16 mayors..so I presume thats all of the Algarve...yo can read the headline yourself by going to the news section on this page and cllicking "the news" link

just reading about desalination (typed word intoi Google) very expensive
as it uses lot of energy to make salt water fresh except when they can use sun ( but that of course means forward thinking to build such things....does it exist here
but it seems in spain they are building 20 desalination plants

How about the huge 'solar' power station being built in the Beja( ) region? What's news on that one?......and wouldn't that help to run de-salination plants?..
And why are the powers that be so late in bringing in water rationing... when it was obvious to all in May (or before) that a severe drought was on the books?...
Peter showed us pics on here how things were looking some time back.. his own wells dry...rivers running low..lakes half full..etc....
never ceases to amaze me how very slow they are to take appropriate measures

Yes Ellie, crazy isn't it. I was only just speaking to friend at lunchtime about it. There are absolutely no public information posters etc (or I certainly haven't seen anything) asking people to be careful and think about the water they are using and giving tips on conservation. Even the most careful among us need reminding.

Isn't this drought a 300 year event? Perhaps it is too early to panic?

Let's hope so pm. Maybe by November we will be swimming about in our wellies, up to our eyes in red mud and moaning about that! Actually I will probably be doing that anyway...as I will be London (no red mud though)!!!

I remember somebody telling me that the year they first moved to the Algarve, it rained continuously almost without stopping for 3 months i.e. November to January. It could be cyclical but I suppose all the talk about global warming does make you think doesn't it?

I was just about to book a villa for September in CVO. Can anyone tell me the likely day to day difficulties we may experience if the shortages continue. I haven't had a holiday for more than two years and would hate it to be spoiled by shortages. I'm not bothered by beach showers and the like, but will water be turned off in villas, restaurants etc?

The last time they did this a few years ago it went off for about 3 hours a day. I was there at the time and to be honest, it wasn't a problem more of a niggle.

Someone mentioned between the hours of 6pm and 9pm.So think you just have to arrange your day around this. It is a severe situation and measures have to be taken.Pity these steps werent taken earlier!

i wonder whether three hours a day will be enough...compared to a few years ago there is far more demand for water now,...so there will be need for a greater cut back....(in my view!)

Does turing off the water for three hours actually save much? Surely people just wait 'till it comes back to have the same amount of baths showers and dish washer cycles. I knwo that it is wrong but isn't that what happens?? Is is fact that they are cutting 18 - 21 hrs as from tomorrow ??

Reference my earlier post: Am I being too harsh, or am I picking up the general view that I might be better off going elsewhere for my holiday in September?

So a little water rationing is going to put you off Alanr ?
Don't you think that every destination has some kind of difficulty or other at the moment?, is there any such place as paradise. at least the draught in the Algarve is the force of nature not terrorist threats.

Tricky