The thirsty betrayal
Are you aware there is a water shortage in Spain? Has anyone bothered to tell? You have to be careful, to save water! No! Why not? Spain has a serious water shortage, this includes Orihuela Costa and surrounding areas.
The water levels at the reservoir in Torremendo are at their lowest level ever, at 34% approximately, only a third of its capacity. This provides water to not only Orihuela Costa but all towns and villages within the provinces of Alicante to Cartegena. This is more than one million people. Yet, this serious situation is not publicised to encourage people to be more careful with water.
A sacred commodity, liquid gold. We must save water, save Orihuela Costa, and save our planet!
We at PIOC wonder why not? Maybe it is because the Orihuela government is based 35km distant, that their “seaside resort” is the cash cow they believe they can continue to milk. They take our money and ignore the very people who pay their taxes year after year. No water, no life, no tourists, no taxes to pay their wages, it is as simple as that!
Resolve this situation could be so simple if new sewage water plants were built to treat the water, but again the Orihuela Government have dragged their heels for years knowing only too well the serious consequences the lack of water will bring to not only Orihuela city but to the coastal areas as well.
When repairs are carried out, they patch up the problem temporarily. Thus, the sewage system is ok for the short term but overflows cause foul smells and much more issues. Moreover, the river beds have either been blocked to build more houses or not maintained, thus causing the rainwater to flow naturally to the beaches as nature intended even to the point of the beaches being washed away. Therefore, having to replace the sand at a huge cost in time for the busy season when tourists arrive.
Orihuela government approved to build of 2,228 more properties on Cala Mosca, the last parcel of natural land on the coast. This runs directly alongside the N332, exactly where the traffic blocks the road, causing long tailbacks. Hence, this causes the most polluted stretch of road to Torrevieja in Spain. The Ministry of Traffico does not approve of the development of Cala Mosca for this reason, yet, the Orihuela government do not accept the decision which was approved at the central government level in Madrid.
Why greed of course!
In 2022 the water company “Hidraqua“ stated in the media that if all this development goes ahead there will be only the capacity of water to supply 50% of the population of Orihuela Costa. The Orihuela government are not telling the truth, they need to act fast, stop the developers from building more houses, repair sewage pipes properly and build a new sewage plant to provide the much-needed water for the 85,000 residents of Orihuela plus the 200,000 tourists that visit every year.
But, sadly as we know only too well, they will not. Power and greed are what is at stake, not forgetting their jobs of course!