Environment
Sections
Highlight
Sections
Highlight
María Albarral
Marbella
Friday, 27 December 2024, 12:32
The state of the comprehensive sanitation network on the Costa del Sol and sewerage discharges is one of the major unresolved issues in Malaga province. But now Spain's central government has approved an investment of 120 million euros for works in Marbella and Estepona. A statement from the Malaga sub-delegation of the government said these projects "will address the problems of insufficiency and obsolescence in some of the main collectors that connect to the wastewater pumping stations in these municipalities". Therefore, the aim of this initiative is to help eliminate this issue.
As a result, work will be carried out on the following collectors: Arroyo de las Cañas-EBAR Guadalmansa (Estepona); Arroyo Siete Revueltas-Calle San Manuel (Marbella); Calle San Manuel-EBAR Víbora (Marbella) and the collector Arroyo Las Cabrillas - EBAR Víbora (Marbella).
The sub-delegate of the government in Malaga, Javier Salas, said, "The government continues to take on investment commitments in water-related matters to step in and support the responsibilities of other administrations." In this regard, he added that it is "a response to a municipal responsibility or to entities managing joint sanitation services".
Therefore, this is the fourth modification of the direct management agreement during the current term of office of the ministry for ecological transition, which will allow the development of 15 new actions in Spain: ten related to wastewater treatment and purification involving an investment of 422 million euros; four supply actions, which will cost 300 million euros; and, finally, one action for the reuse of wastewater. The incorporation of these new actions represents a total investment of 752 million euros.
One of the items on the water bill for residents of the Costa del Sol is sanitation, along with the regional levy established under Law 9/2010 of 30 July on water for Andalucía. This contribution is allocated to infrastructure works for this purpose, which, in the case of the western Costa del Sol, are managed by the public water company Acosol and the regional Junta de Andalucía government.
In the early 1990s, European legislation was adopted setting out the necessary measures that Member States must take to ensure that urban waste water is adequately treated before discharge.
Although the EU directive stipulated that by 2001 all localities with over 15,000 inhabitants had to ensure zero discharge, the deadline set for the Malaga coastline was the end of 2015. However, ten years later, the works remain incomplete, and adequate treatment has not been implemented. Throughout this period of delay, Malaga province has accumulated fines that reached 12.3 million euros by 2022.
One of the main problems is that most of the municipalities in Malaga do not have separate rainwater and sewage networks, as well as the state of the pipes themselves, which have been badly damaged over the years. These deficiencies are also a major drawback to one of the objectives set for 2025 by Acosol, which is none other than to promote reclaimed water. The more difficulties there are in sanitation, the more difficult it is to achieve the quality of water that can later be used for irrigation. Apart from the lack of separate networks in the region, the intrusion of the salinity of seawater also hinders the process.
Other sanitation works
Regarding the most imminent infrastructure projects related to coastal sanitation, both the provincial authority and Acosol have recently awarded a joint project worth over 3.3 million euros. This work is divided into two actions. The first, spanning nearly two kilometres, will take place between the Las Cañas stream and the Guadalmansa pumping station (EBAR) in Estepona, involving a collector with a 90 cm diameter. The second action will occur between Marbesa and the La Víbora EBAR in Marbella, with a collector of the same width and a slightly greater length of just over half a kilometre. Additionally, it is planned to install a fibreglass mesh as an internal lining, which will reinforce the most deteriorated sections.
Publicidad
Publicidad
Publicidad
Publicidad
Esta funcionalidad es exclusiva para suscriptores.
Reporta un error en esta noticia
Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados
¿Ya eres registrado?
Inicia sesiónNecesitas ser suscriptor para poder votar.