This is the moment the Montejaque dam began releasing water on Friday after reaching full capacity following weeks of non-stop rain.
The Los Cabelleros dam, in the Serrania de Ronda, was filmed furiously releasing rainwater via its spillways.
It comes as the region remains on a yellow weather alert today for heavy rains brought on by Storm Oriana.
The continuous rise in water levels triggered the activation of the safety overflow system, dispelling concerns about whether it would function effectively if required.
The reservoir had been steadily rising in an area where the ground is already completely saturated after successive storm systems.
Despite the controlled release, emergency officials are maintaining precautionary evacuations in the Estacion de Benaojan and Jimera de Libar districts, where more than 150 residents have been out of their homes for several days due to fears of a sudden large-scale discharge.
On Thursday night, authorities also ordered the evacuation of the first row of homes in the Estacion de Cortes de la Frontera as an additional safety measure, including British expats.
One Brit reacting to the Spanish Eye’s coverage late on Thursday said: ‘The dam’s base is leaking all the time into the huge cave systems here, but so much rainfall has filled it for the first time ever.
‘We’ve just been evacuated as a precaution as the river level will rise overnight.’
On Thursday, the dam had been just 30cm below its crest and under constant monitoring, not only of the wall itself but also of the surrounding perimeter and aquifer system.
Officials had repeatedly warned that it was too early to ‘lower our guard’, even during brief lulls in rainfall, as the saturated ground means any further precipitation could quickly increase inflows.
With the spillways now operating, emergency teams continue to closely monitor both the reservoir and downstream river levels.
Authorities are hoping that the gradual reduction in water levels over the coming days will allow for a safe and phased return of evacuated residents, provided weather conditions stabilise and no new significant rainfall occurs.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
