Tap water declared safe in all three Malaga villages where high chlorate levels were detected

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Totalán is the latest town hall that has has told residents they can use the water for drinking and cooking after favourable test results were reported on Friday

Eugenio Cabezas

Axarquía

Monday, 22 December 2025, 15:05

The villages of El Borge and Totalán in Malaga province's Axarquía area have both announced that the tap water is safe to drink again after detecting high chlorate levels.

The town halls of both municipalities have lifted the restrictions on consumption after receiving favourable test results from municipal networks.

On Friday 19 December Totalán became the third of the three villages to tell local residents that the water was once again safe to drink after El Borge announced its water was fine the previous Tuesday.

El Borge, Iznate and Totalán had all been forced to tell residents not to drink the tap water due to the detection of high levels of chlorates, a by-product of the chlorine disinfection process regulated by new state regulations.