Date Published: 19/04/2022
ARCHIVED - Aguilas beaches to get 650,000-euro makeover to mend storm damage and clean up waste
ARCHIVED ARTICLE Popular beaches in Águilas are being given some much needed TLC after the recent storms replaced much of the sand with harmful plastic waste
Adele Stephenson, a guest who was staying at the caravan parking site Parking Tortugamora near to Calabardina, also collected bags of waste “but it had little impact on the mess”: “The amount of plastic waste is unbelievable and very sad”.
Ms Stephenson added, “What is also of note are the signs behind the beaches stating this is a conservation area.”
It seems the trash problem is affecting local tourism. Ms Stephenson, for one, assured that she “would not return due to the amount of rubbish and plastic close by”, but recognised that the issue was not just limited to Águilas, and affected many areas without detracting from the value of the places themselves.
“My husband and I have been touring Spain for the last seven weeks and have visited and seen some wonderful places,” she said. “I am also aware that the issue with plastic discarded waste is a worldwide problem.”
One particular group concerned about the environmental effects of this litters, the local evangelical church ‘A los pies del Rey’ (At the feet of the King), decided to do something about it and recently held a beach clean-up day on the Playa del Rafal. On the day, the participants who went down there managed to remove more than two hundred kilos of waste from the Spanish shoreline, though it’s still only a drop in the ocean.
This positive environmental action was carried out in collaboration with the Department of Cleaning of the Town Council of Águilas and the company awarded the service.
The Town Council itself is especially concerned to resolve the issue, and has vowed to invest 650,000 euros to repair the damage caused by the wind and rainstorms on the coast of Murcia, and make sure the beaches are all up to scratch once again.
The Mayor of Águilas, Mari Carmen Moreno, welcomed an announcement made last week by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge to promote such beach clean-up days and other work that is needed to rebeautify the town’s beaches.
Ms Moreno pointed out the head of the Coastal Demarcation in Murcia, Daniel Caballero, together with other beach specialists, visited the Águilas shoreline in order to assess the amount of money that will be necessary to fully recover the coastline as soon as possible and in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
One of the biggest problems they detected was a significant loss of sand level, which will need to be replaced.
As well as this, the local Town Hall has assured that “work will be carried out on the cliffs and waste will be removed at the beaches of La Higuerica, Calarreona, La Carolina, Matalentisco, Casica Verde, Levante, Poniente, La Colonia, Delicias, El Hornillo and La Cola.”
Images 1 & 2: Adele Stephenson
Images 3 & 4: Ayuntamiento de Águilas