ARCHIVED - Murcia and Spanish news round-up week ending 11th October 2019

Temperatures could reach 33 degrees in Murcia this weekend as the gota fría storm continues to occupy the headlines after a month

It is now almost exactly a month since the Region of Murcia and Alicante province suffered what has been described as the worst and most widespread flooding in the last 50 years in a massive “gota fría” storm, but as the Costa Cálida begins another weekend with temperatures expected to reach up to 33 degrees the news continues to be dominated by the event as the clean-up continues, the repairs begin, the mid- to long-term consequences become clearer and flood prevention measures are sought with a view to the future.

On Thursday this week Murcia-Alicante rail services finally resumed after having stopped on 12^th September when much of the Segura flood plain was left flooded (although local services on the Cartagena-Murcia and Lorca-Águilas lines are still suspended), and a couple of days earlier the CHS water infrastructures administration body completed repairs on the water supply canal in Los Valientes, close to Molina de Segura. Part of this canal collapsed under the sheer weight of water during the torrential rain, causing floodwater to cascade down towards the reservoir of Santomera and into lower-lying areas.

Arguably the worst of the flooding was in the town of Los Alcázares, where the gradual disappearance of sand from Playa Carrión was accelerated to the point where the beach can hardly be said to exist anymore. In this context one of the options under consideration, however, involves not a restoration of the sand but the installation in its place of 900 square metres of bathing jetties to enable people to enter the water between the historic bathing station of La Encarnación and the Playa de La Concha. A preliminary design drawn up well before the flooding is reminiscent of the design of the Cruz de Levante facility in Santiago de la Ribera, with three jetties reaching out to a point where the water is deep enough to enter directly.

Just a few kilometres along the shore of the Mar Menor in Los Urrutias and Los Nietos, meanwhile, the renovations and repairs made necessary by the flooding will be carried out in part by jobless people who are to be offered on-the-job training in a scheme launched by the Town Hall of Cartagena. Their tasks in Los Urrutias are to include repairing the garden and terrace at the Local Social, while in Los Nietos the work to be done includes the repainting and repair of benches in the parks of Plaza del Ancla, Plaza del Pescador and Plaza de San Miguel.

Meanwhile, in the Mar Menor the amount of debris removed by the regional government’s beach cleaning teams and the Limpiamar boat has climbed to 4,200 cubic metres, including 25 rubbish containers, plants, branches and even complete trees. However, Antonio Luengo, the minister for the environment in the Murcia government, also confirms that the water quality in the lagoon is currently much worse than before the gota fría, and that unfortunately “the patient is back in intensive care”, with the oxygen level worryingly low. The consequences of this shortage of oxygen for marine flora and fauna have not yet been evaluated, but it can be assumed they are not positive.

On the other hand, there are signs that some aspects of water quality are improving in the Mar Menor, and beaches are re-opening to bathers almost all around the lagoon.

Back on land, another consequence of the gota fría is the proliferation of mosquitos after eggs were laid in the vast areas of stagnant water which accumulated during the storm. As the larvae hatch into insects intensive anti-mosquito spraying is still going on throughout Murcia, not only in Torre Pacheco, Los Alcázares, Murcia, Molina and Beniel but also in areas where flooding was far less serious, including Las Torres de Cotillas, Totana and Cehegín.

Agriculture and the environment

Giant fan mussels vandalized in Mar Menor reserve: the species has almost been wiped out in the Mediterranean but survives in the Mar Menor, although its future has been jeopardized first by the gota fría storm and now, apparently, by mindless vandalism.

Hedgerow research continues as measures are sought to reduce flooding and protect the Mar Menor: hedges help prevent erosion, retain carbon in the soil, preserve biodiversity and provide a habitat for pollinating insects.

800 kilos of marine waste removed from the bay of Mazarrón: among the rubbish salvaged at the weekend were the remains of a sunken boat.

Águilas installs bat boxes to combat mosquitos around the castle: a socially inclusive project brings multiple benefits to the municipality of Águilas based on the fact that bats can eat up to 3,000 mosquitos a day.

Livestock carcass feasts to be supplied to the flourishing vulture population of Murcia: the number of the scavengers in the Region has more than trebled in the last 13 years and a ban on leaving dead sheep and goats in the open is to be partially lifted to supplement their food supply.

3.4 hectares of land scarred by wildfire in Cieza: the recent warm and dry spell has increased the risk of fires in many parts of the Costa Cálida.

Madrid declares war on Argentinian monk parakeets: Madrileños are sick of 12,000 parrots causing dangers to public safety and threatening native bird species.

Tourism:

Lower airline tariffs at Corvera airport may attract more flights: the cuts are introduced throughout Spain by the government after the collapse of Thomas Cook.

Costa Cálida tourism resists the Brexit effect as British visitors to Murcia spend 360 million euros so far this year: visitors from the UK still account for well over 40 per cent of all international tourism in Murcia.

Other stories in the news this week

Historic Spanish air force buildings to be used for cultural events in Los Alcázares: the town on the coast of the Mar Menor was home to the first military seaplane base in Spain over 100 years ago and is keen to make the most of its aeronautical heritage.

Work to start at last on AVE high-speed rail line into Cartagena: the contract has been awarded for the first stage of track platform construction.

Negative inflation returns to the Region of Murcia: the retail price index falls in Murcia for the first time in over three years.

Roman ruins spruced up in Puerto de Mazarrón after the gota fría storm: weeds and undergrowth had partly covered the 2,000-year-old remains in the town and in El Alamillo but the Town Hall maintains its commitment to protecting historical heritage.

2 babies among 8 injured in Vigo after driver faints at the wheel: chaos and panic as the car gathered speed and careered onto the pavement.

Hang-glider pilot dies in the mountains close to Jumilla: the 35-year-old failed to survive a 30-metre fall in the Sierra del Buey.

Mountain biker airlifted to hospital from the mountains between Murcia and Sucina: the man broke his hip in a fall in the Puerto de Garruchal on Sunday.

200 more Algerian migrants reached the coast of Murcia last weekend

Migrants pay between 1,000 and 4,000 euros for their perilous crossings of the Mediterranean, the different rates corresponding to the quality of boat in which they attempt the last leg of the journey after being brought by fishing vessels to within striking distance of the Spanish coast.

Unfortunately, but inevitably, there are casualties during the crossings, and the six people who were rescued from a capsized boat 20 miles off the coast of Cartagena may face charges of murder by negligence in relation to the drowning of an 11-year-old who was accompanying them.

Cartagena Mayoress and colleagues expelled from the PSOE party: Ana Belén Castejón and her colleagues pay the price for negotiating a power-sharing pact without consulting the regional party bosses.

1,000 trees planted in Corvera forestry initiative: the Town Hall of Murcia plans to plant 100,000 trees throughout the municipality by 2030.

Intrepid burglar arrested after being freed from a chimney in Granada: the Santa-style attempted robbery ended in sooty and claustrophobic failure.

Drug smugglers initially hailed as heroes after rescuing Guardia Civil officers revealed to be villains after all: the smugglers only returned to rescue drowning officers after being forced to do so by a Guardia helicopter and still had time to dump 3 tons of hashish in the sea.

3-d images of million-year-old fossils to go on display at Cartagena archaeological museum: the fossils were found at the Cueva Victoria site, where it is claimed the first evidence of early Man crossing from Africa into Europe has been found.

Woman dies in Fortuna after being caught in a lemon packaging machine: the accident occurred at the industrial estate south of the town.

Tropical fruit lorry driver arrested in Cieza 5 times over the alcohol limit: this is the fourth instance of HGV drivers far exceeding the alcohol limit in Murcia this year.

Eros the sniffer dog leads to 40 people facing drug-related charges in Cieza: if the letter of the law is applied those caught in possession of marijuana could be fined 10,000 euros!

Murcia and Spanish property news

The main news this week in the Spanish real estate market is that the sales figures for the month of August across the country fell very sharply indeed in comparison with the same month last year, dropping by 21 per cent.

In some ways this comes as something of a shock after months during which it appeared that there was a trend towards stability, and normally the government’s statistics tend to show significant seasonal decreases only in December and at Easter. But in August 2019 the downturn was universal in all of Spain’s 17 regions, ranging from -8.6 per cent in Galicia to falls of over 40 per cent in Extremadura and the Canaries.

The Region of Murcia performed only slightly better than the national average with a drop of 16.7 per cent.

Of course it is possible that these August results are just a “blip” – although for it to occur in 17 regions simultaneously would be unusual, but at the same time there have been signs recently of a slowdown in the market recovery, and this is reflected in data related to residential construction. Three consecutive monthly falls in the number of homes for which building licences have been issued have ended a 28-month upward trend, although the strong growth in the first few months of 2019 means that the year-to-date total after seven months is still 11.1 per cent higher than at the same point last year.

In similar vein, although not so dramatically, the notaries of Spain, whose data are compiled differently from those of the government, report the fourth consecutive decrease in monthly sales figures in August, while at the same time noting that the month saw the highest proportion of purchases financed by mortgage loans since 2010.

On a more positive note, though, Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics bureau, published its housing price index data for the second quarter of 2019 on Monday, reporting that while the average price of residential property for both the EU and the Eurozone rose by 4.2 per cent in comparison with the same period last year the increase in Spain was slightly higher at 5.4 per cent.

Tighter legislation comes into force in Murcia to control tourist property rentals: stricter controls and quality guarantees for the short-term letting of privately-owned homes.

Bad bank attempts to offload Costa Cálida resort property at Munich fair: Sareb believes the time is right for buyers to snap up homes which were built in Murcia a decade ago and is actively promoting properties in Hacienda del Álamo, Mar Menor and Las Terrazas de la Torre II.

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See full background information for the Murcia Gota Fria 2019.