ARCHIVED - Murcia and Spanish news round-up week ending 29th November 2019

Another gota fría storm could be heading our way, raising fears of flood damage and further disaster in the Mar Menor

The British are often portrayed as being obsessive in constantly talking about the weather, but in the Costa Cálida this week it could be argued that there has been ample justification for it, with temperatures at the back end of November reaching 25 degrees on Wednesday as Águilas and Mazarrón were the hottest places in mainland Spain!

However, the warm weather is about to come to an abrupt end over the weekend, and all eyes will be on the sky on Sunday and Monday as forecasters warn that there is a possibility of an isolated high altitude depression forming over south-eastern Spain, potentially bringing with it heavy rain and a “gota fría” storm of the kind which caused disastrous flooding in the Region of Murcia in September. It is still too early to say exactly how conditions will develop as these weather phenomena are notoriously hard to predict accurately, but although the expectation is not for the kind of cataclysmic downpours which made September’s storm the worst in 50 years the chances of heavy rain are quoted by Aemet as being as high as 90 per cent in Cartagena, 85 per cent in San Javier and 75 per cent in Mazarrón.

Of course the first worry is that there could be a repeat of the severe flooding of a couple of months ago – major repairs have not even started on some infrastructures and only this week the Murcia government announced it would repair gota fría damage on the RM-54 road in Los Nietos – but taking a longer-term view it is at least equally important that there should not be more flooding leading to runoff water and debris finding their way into the Mar Menor.

The drastic deterioration in the marine environment of the Mar Menor has caused an outcry since September, and the latest monthly survey performed by the regional public opinion studies centre Cemop finds that this is now the second most worrying current issue for the population of the Region of Murcia. The sense that politicians of all parties in both the regional and national governments have failed to implement any meaningful measures to protect the lagoon was heightened in the eyes of some observers this week when Fernando López Miras, the president of the regional government of Murcia, stated that 204 litres per second of water containing harmful residues are running off into the Mar Menor via the Rambla del Albujón.

In other words, although the level of oxygen in the water is now more or less normal after the episode which resulted in tons of dead fish and crustaceans being washed up on the beaches in October and the chlorophyll level is dropping, the situation is still critical, as reflected by the fact that the transparency of the water is as low as it has been at any time in the last three years.

Coincidentally, in 2016 the regional government proposed a series of green filters to clear water of nitrates before it was allowed to run into the Mar Menor, and the estimated capacity of those filters was calculated to be 200 litres per second – almost exactly the flow rate quoted by Sr López Miras. But this week, after three years in which the green filter project has been discussed, downsized and only half-heartedly pursued, Miriam Pérez, the head of the Department of the Mar Menor in the current regional government, explained that an alternative system consisting of “bio-reactors” in water treatment pools is now the preferred option.

She favours shelving the green filters and instead installing a series of 16 pools, each of them fitted with bio-reactors in the form of shavings from lemon and other citrus fruit trees.

In the meantime, the long-term effects of the crisis in the Mar Menor are being more and more widely felt in a variety of locations and sectors. The 23 fishing boats based in the port of Lo Pagán which put out to sea again in the hope of landing a reasonable catch reported very disappointing results, and after some sources stated that even the few fish they brought ashore were not of interest to buyers, a subsidy was finally awarded at the end of the week to support them whilst the problems in the Mar Menor are resolved.

As for tourism, members of Hostecar (the federation of hotel businesses and hostelries in Cartagena) fear severe losses, closures and the loss of numerous jobs in the sector, not only in the Mar Menor but throughout the municipality. In this context they continue to demand direct, specific and rapid action to save the Mar Menor, and at a gala held in Cabo de Palos this week Cristina Sánchez, the minister for Tourism in the regional government, faced calls for action from her Department as speakers openly criticized the public administrations for failing to act. In simple terms, and to give only a small example, if there is no improvement in the situation beach bars will not open next summer, staff will not be taken on and other businesses in the area will inevitably face difficulties as a result.

Even businesses such as our own are concerned about the potential knock-on effects of advertisers unable or unwilling to advertise this coming summer and how it could affect our own ability to continue delivering a free product to tourists and residential tourists; the effects of a downturn will be far reaching and hit many businesses not even based around the Mar Menor.

Meanwhile, the long process of decision-making goes on, and this week it was reported in the regional Spanish media that the government’s scientific committee overseeing the Mar Menor is to consider proposals submitted by four companies involving the use of bacteria to eliminate the silt which has accumulated around the shore of the lagoon. In fact, one company based in Norway states on its website that “our local partners have signed agreements with the provincial Gov. of Algeciras and Murcia for water remediation planned from Dec. 2019”!

Brightcore Quantum may be jumping the gun a little, but the description of the company’s technology certainly suggests that it may be of use on the Mar Menor and the Cemop survey suggests that unless some course of action is decided upon soon the proportion of Murcianos who consider the Mar Menor to be the biggest single problem facing the Region could become far larger.

On the positive side, the government has at least identified 36 potentially illegally moored boats off the beaches of Los Alcázares and passed the information on to the Town Hall so that action can be taken to remove them. 

More news related to environmental issues

Schoolchildren take over the Murcia regional parliament for a day: youngsters debated and passed a motion to vow that they will never go to bed at night without having done something, however, small, to protect the environment, showing the grown-ups how to do it!

Motorboat runs aground on the oldest dunes in Europe within the Calblanque regional park: conservationists call for more protection at the regional park near Cabo de Palos.

Urgent clean-up of heavy metals contaminating former zinc company land in Cartagena: contaminated soil and water have killed birds on plots of land just outside the city due to their high mercury, cadmium and arsenic content. This area is one of the six in Spain to be listed as radioactive land.

Olives collected in Murcia parks to provide 8,000 litres of oil for charities: 1,600 trees in the parks and gardens of Murcia will yield 30 to 40 tons of olives this autumn.

1.2 million euros for Cieza-Jumilla greenway project: the path follows the trackbed of an old railway which closed down 50 years ago.

Anti-pine processionary caterpillar treatment begins in Jumilla: the processionary season has been beginning earlier and earlier in Murcia in recent years and precautions are already being taken by many of the 45 Town Halls in the Region. If you have nests in your own trees, now is the time to deal with them before the caterpillars emerge.

Other stories in the news this week

54 tons of illegal rolling tobacco and 35,000 packs of cigarettes confiscated in Murcia since 2017: one in 12 of all cigarettes smoked in Spain has not been declared to customs authorities.

Another half a million euros are needed to open the swimming pool of the Palacio de Deportes in Cartagena: it is now 19 years since the construction project for the “drop of mercury” or "the silver slug" depending on your point of view, was approved and 13 years since building work began.

3 Rumanians charged with exploiting and enslaving compatriots in Mazarrón: victims were offered accommodation and employment but were denied access to their wages.

1,500-euro fine cancelled for Murcia gym which used fingerprint ID admission procedure: the policy is ruled not to have contravened data protection laws in Spain but the situation may now be different, experts warn.

5G telecommunications company EMITE opens new HQ in Fuente Álamo: EMITE supplies technology to leading telecommunications companies throughout the world.

This week there were many activities throughout the region to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Two which stood out were:

Ceramic mural presented in Cartagena to commemorate the victims of gender violence: flowers as a symbol of the beauty and strength of women in a beautiful ceramic mural which bore the names of victims of gender violence.

Broken heart road signs were positioned in Águilas during an anti-gender violence demonstration: the Town Hall advocates education as the only solution to the problem of violence against women.

Lorca police destroy 3,500 alcoholic drinks: the beverages were confiscated during recent inspections at 24/7 shops in the municipality.

Government-funded compost containers offered by San Pedro del Pinatar Town Hall: applications to receive one of the 23 containers available should be made by 9^th December.

Águilas shops celebrating Black Friday: a festive atmosphere in the Águilas Centro area on 29^th November as stores bring their goods out into the streets along with live entertainment.

Murcia Guardia Civil auctioning off 773 firearms this week: the weapons at the sealed bid auction in the regional capital include 2 arquebuses!

Murcia manga and Japanese culture festival director stabbed by robbers: muggers stole cash takings from the 11^th Murcia Manga festival at the Auditorio Víctor Villegas.

Petrol station strikes threatened across Spain on 5th and 9th December: possible disruption for motorists over the long holiday weekend as unions complain of “insufficient” pay rise offers. fill up now is the advice!!!!

Murcia Town Hall passes new regulations to clamp down on unauthorized car park attendants: the police will be allowed to fine the “gorrillas” up to 3,000 euros and relieve them of their takings when the new legislation comes into force, probably early in 2020. The empowerment of the police has been a long time coming and many will hope it soon spreads to other areas of the Region!

Transatlantic narco-submarine intercepted off Galicia with 3 tons of cocaine on board: the sub was completing a 20-day voyage from Colombia with a cargo worth over 100 million euros, and this is the first time a transatlantic shipment of this kind has been detected although the authorities believe many more “single-use” subs could lie on the seabed having arrived in Europe safely.

The three crew, only two of whom have been detained, sank the sub when they were intercepted and it took days to retrieve, partly because of adverse weather conditions on the Galicia coastline and partly because a lifting harness broke while it was being raised to the surface in the port of Aldán, while at the same time considerable resources were being devoted to the operation to remove fuel from the merchant vessel the Blue Star which ran aground near with around 105 tons of fuel and diesel on board.

Access improvement work continues at Playa Amarilla in Águilas: one of the most attractive beaches in the Costa Cálida is located opposite the Isla Del Fraile.

Lorry load of lettuces closes the A-7 motorway in Lorca: long tailbacks as a lettuce lorry overturns and skews across the carriageway.

Bullas museum loses out as Roman sculpture of Venus goes to the archaeological museum in Murcia: the "Venus of Bullas" was discovered in 1867 at the Villa de los Cantos.

Mazarrón Town Hall invests 3.9 million euros in improving infrastructures and heritage sites: the Mayor aims to improve life for residents and present a better image to tourists with a raft of projects including road repairs, artificial reefs, drawing up the Phoenician Boats Museum project and restoration of the casino.

Spanish inflation rate climbs to 0.4 per cent: provisional data for November show an end to the downward trend which began in April.

One dead and numerous injured in multiple collision on the AP-7 in San Javier: seven vehicles were involved in the incident close to Pozo Aledo caused by a car travelling in the wrong direction on the northbound carriageway.

Barcelona and Morocco flights close to being added to the schedules at Corvera airport: the Moroccan consul to Murcia reports that at least one airline is “very interested” in establishing a connection with north Africa.

C-101 jets to be replaced by Swiss aircraft for the air force academy and the Patrulla Águila in San Javier: a pilot was killed in August when his C-101 crashed into the Mediterranean off La Manga in August, by which time the decision had already been made to renew the aircraft after 40 years in service the airforce reports.

Reserve Guardia Civil officers could be drafted in as driving examiners: a backlog of 300,000 tests across Spain forces the examiner team to work extra hours following a pay dispute.

Property market news

A quiet week in terms of real estate news ended with the latest mortgage statistics underlining the fact that there was a sharp drop in the number of properties changing hands in the late summer and early autumn, with the news that the number of new loans finalized in September was almost 32 per cent lower than in the same month last year.

The decrease was universal throughout the 17 regions of Spain and coincides with significant falls in sales figures, although at the same time the average loan capital during the month the highest since August 2008.

In the Region of Murcia the decrease was in line with the national average at 31.8 per cent and the running 12-monthly totals are now at more or less the same level as a year both in the Costa Cálida and in Spain as a whole, having dropped significantly over the last two months.

It appears, then, that rather than entering a period of stability the property market is becoming significantly less dynamic in Spain at the moment, possibly due in part to the continuing uncertainty over the country’s political future, the generalized slowing down of the economy and the feeling that unemployment is no longer falling as significantly as it has over the last 5 years or so. In Murcia the signs are not quite so overwhelming, though, and it should be remembered that the latest sales figures were higher than last year.

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