ARCHIVED - Murcia and Spanish news round-up week ending 7th February 2020

28 degrees in Murcia in early February heatwave but concerns grow over the Mar Menor

After Storm Gloria and Brexit is comes as something of a relief to report a relatively quiet week on the news front in the Costa Cálida, allowing those in the Region of Murcia to enjoy a record-breaking early February heatwave in the first half of the week!

The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reports that last month was the warmest January on record in Europe, but in Murcia and the rest of Spain it was the first few days of February which really caught the eye as new maximum temperature records for the first half of the month were set with thermometers showing over 28 degrees as early as the 4^th.

Unfortunately, though, the glorious weather in the first half of the week is exacerbating the issues compounding for the Mar Menor. Murcia regional government minister Javier Celdrán presented the latest data regarding water quality on Thursday and warned that the lagoon is likely to turn green again “sooner rather than later” as a consequence, he says, of the continuing runoff of fresh water bearing fertilizers and nutrients absorbed from the Campo de Cartagena.

He went on to urge the national government to assume its responsibilities and take action to prevent any more runoff entering the lagoon via the Rambla del Albujón as soon as possible.

Although the Mar Menor remains completely safe in terms of water quality for bathing, the minister reports that 350 litres of water are still entering the Mar Menor per second due to the water table under the Campo de Cartagena being exceptionally high, and that such a level of incoming fresh water is preventing the lagoon from recovering the high salinity which has always set the marine environment apart from the Mediterranean. Since the gota fría storm of September the salinity measurement in the lagoon has remained around 38.5 grams per litre, almost exactly the same as in the water on the other side of La Manga.

These statements from Javier Celdrán on Thursday came a day after warnings from the naturalists’ association ANSE that for the first time to their knowledge large quantities of phytoplankton mucilage, commonly known as “babas” (or slime), are accumulating in the lagoon. This “bloom” is similar to others which have been reported in the Mediterranean in recent years, according to Pedro García of ANSE, but it has never before been seen on the same scale in the Mar Menor, where it has been detected in the Tomás Maestre marina, the Canal del Estacio and other areas.

Efforts continue to combat the spread of biomass and marine vegetation as effectively as possible: workers have been removing green algae from the northern shore of the lagoon and it is reported that 34 tons of biomass have been cleared from the beaches of San Pedro del Pinatar, but the visible alterations in the marine environment are making it clearer and clearer that the task facing the authorities to restore the lagoon is a herculean one.

One example of the problems being experienced is that earlier this week the continuing low salinity levels appear to have made it possible for the parasite which has decimated the giant fan mussel throughout the Mediterranean to breed and thrive in the Mar Menor. The parasite named Haplosporidium pinnae is averse to very salty water and as a result significant fan mussel populations in Spanish water having survived until now only in the Mar Menor and the delta of the Ebro in Catalunya: now, though, eight specimens in the Mar Menor have been found to be suffering the effects of Haplosporidium pinnae, and after Storm Gloria almost obliterated the Ebro delta there must be doubts over whether the giant fan mussel will continue to exist at all in the wild, having inhabited the Mediterranean for approximately 5 million years.

As ever, though, there has to be hope for the future, and on Monday schoolchildren sent out an SOS for the Mar Menor on the beach in San Pedro del Pinatar: education and awareness are vital tools in the fight against the negative effects of the climate crisis and other environmental issues, and the image above, with youngsters on the beach encapsulates the need for action to ensure that they and their own children will be able to enjoy the Mar Menor in the coming decades.

Gota fría storms made 2019 the wettest year on record in parts of Murcia

The State meteorological agency Aemet has published its provisional summary of the weather in Spain during 2019, including among the highlights the higher than average temperatures and unusually heavy rainfall in the Region of Murcia, both of which are contributing to the problem mentioned above.

While the year in Spain as a whole was “normal” in terms of rainfall the figures in Murcia were distorted enormously by one of the severest “gota fría” storms on record in the middle of September. This event and a second gota fría in December resulted in the year being classified as “extremely wet” or “very wet” throughout Murcia, and in both Murcia and Alcantarilla 12^th September 2019 was the wettest day on record with figures of 169 and 180 millimetres respectively.

What’s more, the trend continued in January, which was three times wetter than usual in the Costa Cálida and the fifth wettest January on record. The bulk of the precipitation occurred during the visit of Storm Gloria to the Mediterranean coast of Spain and in parts of the north-west of the Region the total climbed to over 100 mm, much of it falling as snow: the highest figure was 146 millimetres in Benizar, in the municipality of Moratalla.

The 2019 summary also states that 2019 falls into the category of “very warm” in Spain, and among the episodes of extreme heat during the year was a measurement of 42.8 degrees on 9^th August in Alcantarilla.

Tourism news

Although warm weather is one of the reasons most frequently cited by tourists for choosing Spain, the warm summer in parts of Europe stifled tourism growth in Spain last year.

The Spanish government’s central statistics unit published its data for international tourism for 2019 this week, reporting that the number of visitors from abroad increased by just 1.1 per cent to 83.7 million.

At the same time, the amount spent by those visitors while in this country rose by 2.8 per cent during the year, reaching a new record of 92,278 million euros, and within both annual totals visitors from the UK accounted for by far the largest share attributed to any single market.

In terms of visitor numbers, 21.6 per cent of all foreign visitors came from the UK (18.1 million), while it is also worth stressing the importance of the UK nationals in generating economic activity generated: British visitors accounted for 19.5 per cent of that spending (almost 18 billion euros, 0.2 per cent more than in 2018). To bring these astronomical figures down to a more easily grasped level, that equates to visitors from the UK alone spending 2.05 MILLION EUROS PER HOUR throughout the year in Spain!

However, in the Region of Murcia the figures were rather less encouraging, although there may be mitigating circumstances. The data show that foreign tourists spent over 1.1 billion euros in the Costa Cálida in 2019 and that they again numbered over a million, with the British accounting for over 42 per cent of all those coming to the Region from abroad, but the fall of 6.9 per cent in visitor numbers was disappointing to say the least.

Among the explanations offered are the effect of the September gota fría, which caused flooding all around the Mar Menor and the subsequent flooding in December of the same area (an area which usually generates around two thirds of all tourism in the Costa Cálida), but an analysis of the data doesn’t appear to provide much support for these theories. Neither does it suggest that Brexit has affected the results significantly.

It may just be, perhaps, that another reason for the decline is to be found in the opening of the Region of Murcia International Airport in Corvera on 15^th January last year. The way in which figures are compiled, allied with a close correlation between tourism figures and airport passenger numbers, leads to a suspicion that more and more visitors are flying into the Costa Cálida “under the radar” by landing at Alicante-Elche airport!

Other items in the news

New street and beach furniture for Los Nietos: Cartagena Town Hall invests in replacements after the storm damage of the winter.

Two missing after massive landslide closes Basque Country motorway: an asbestos contamination scare slows the search for two men believed missing under tons of rocks and rubble.

Spanish government launches Brexit helpline: information is offered on how Brexit affects both UK and Spanish nationals.

Spanish bank account blocked? No, it’s nothing to do with Brexit, the banks may only be complying with ECB regulations regarding money laundering prevention – if your account has been blocked read this article.

12 arrested in San Javier after spate of thefts from cars: some of the thieves used frequency inhibitors to open cars without causing damage.

Sculptor under suspicion as Cartagena Semana Santa monument is vandalized yet again: damage to the Monumento al Procesionista has been constant since it was moved to its current location 20 years ago.

Increase expected in demand for Calasparra rice after Storm Gloria flooding in Catalunya: the rice grown in north-west Murcia is exported all over the world as well as being sold in Spain and could now benefit from the devastation to the Ebro delta.

Semana Santa in Jumilla receives official International Tourist Interest certification: the processions in Jumilla join those of Lorca, Murcia and Cartagena in the elite tourist attraction category.

Volunteers collect over 2 tons of plastics and waste from the shore of the Mar Menor: over 100 people gathered in El Carmolí on Sunday to collect rubbish swept down via the rambla from the surrounding countryside.

Motor vehicle tax now payable in Cartagena: surcharges will be levied on motorists failing to pay the IVTM tax before 31^st March.

13 investigated as the irregular sale of 25,000 cured hams is prevented: insufficient health certification was obtained for hams being sold in Murcia and other parts of Spain.

Unemployment barely falling any more in Spain after sharp rise in January: the jobless total in Murcia has still fallen by over 3 per cent in the last year, as opposed to under 1 per cent in the whole country, but there signs that the agricultural sector is facing problems after the autumn storms.

Murcia crop farmers up in arms over low market prices: a mass demonstration is called as the supermarket price of broccoli exceeds 7 times the amount paid to farmers.

High drama at Madrid airport as Air Canada jet completes emergency landing: the plane circled Madrid for four hours shedding fuel before successfully touching down just hours after a drone scare closed air space at Spain’s busiest airport.

Eight deaths attributable to flu so far this winter in Murcia: the epidemic appears to be peaking but the return of colder weather may bring another upturn. It's still possible to get vaccinated if you haven´t done so already.

53 African migrants picked up off the Murcia coast on Monday: four boats were intercepted in calm sea conditions in the Mediterranean, the first carrying 6 adults and four minors who were picked up near El Gorguel.

Irrigation water channel in Alguazas reopened 5 months after the September gota fría: the water supply is restored at last to 460 hectares of farmland in central Murcia.

Murcia achieved the lowest cancer death rate in Spain last year: cancer of the colon is the most common form of the disease both in Murcia and in Spain.

Naomi Osaka leads Japan at FedCup tennis event in La Manga Club: Spain face off against Japan on 7^th and 8^th February for a place in the final phase of the global tournament.

Storm Gloria brings sea bass and bream bonanza for anglers in Portmán: hundreds of fishermen are catching up to 50 kilos each after fish farm cages were damaged two weeks ago!

First AVE high-speed trains in Murcia delayed until at least 2022: major upgrading has been completed at Murcia station (although the building will become redundant when the new underground line is complete) and is to start soon in Cartagena.

Sea fog blanks out the entire western Mediterranean! Phenomena of this kind are normally observed in the spring.

2,200-year-old Iberian home to be reconstructed in Jumilla: the dwelling is one of those at the Coimbra del Barranco Ancho site in the mountains outside Jumilla.

Almost 30,000 speeding fines were issued in 2019 as a result of just 2 speed traps in Murcia: one camera in Valencia detected almost 60,000 offences!

Potentially dangerous dog breeds cause overcrowding at the animal pound in Murcia: the implementation of the “zero sacrifice” policy leaves the Zoonosis Centre struggling to cope…

Authorized pig farming land up for auction 400 metres from Camposol: permission was given for a macro-piggery to be reactivated two years ago but the land is now up for sale in a Hacienda public auction.

Property news

There is a sense at present that the residential property market in Spain is entering a period of stagnation in both sales figures and market values, but there remains hope that due to a combination of factors the recent upward trends in the Region of Murcia might be maintained.

Spain’s notaries recently published their quarterly report regarding activity in the property market during the third quarter of last year, and Murcia stood out as being the only one of Spain’s 17 regions in which sales figures continued to rise. In the country as a whole, according to the notaries’ data, the number of transactions registered was 6.3 per cent lower than in the equivalent period of 2018, but in Murcia a 3.4 per cent year-on-year increase was observed: the third quarter of the year is almost always the slowest in terms of property sales due to notaries and many others taking their annual holidays, but nonetheless this shows underlines the fact that the attractive prices in the Costa Cálida are still proving sufficient to stimulate sales even after an annual increase of 17 per cent in 2018.

Meanwhile, the leading Spanish property valuation firm Tinsa published its latest batch of monthly data regarding the market value of housing, reporting that in January 2020 the recovery in market prices of recent years continued to stall. A year-on–year increase of just 1.6 per cent was the 13^th consecutive rise of under 5 per cent, while in Mediterranean coastal areas a downward movement of 0.3 per cent since January 2019 is reported.

In addition, the latest monthly “market snapshot”, in which Tinsa highlight reasons to expect upward or downward movements in the value of homes in Spain, points to rather less certainty over the nature of future developments than has been the case for the last couple of years.

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