ARCHIVED - Murcia and Spanish news round-up week ending 27th September 2019
Sunshine after the rain in the Costa Cálida as beaches re-open and normality returns to Murcia
The longer-term effects on the marine environment of the Mar Menor are still a source of concern
In the Costa Cálida the focus in the news this week has once again been on the destruction caused by the massive gota fría storm which hit south-eastern Spain a fortnight ago, but as life gradually returns to normal even in the areas worst affected by flooding at the time, and as the clear-up operation enters its final phase in many areas, the panorama is becoming a far more attractive one.
As the Region of Murcia basked in hot sunshine all week, with temperatures reaching the low- to mid-30s in almost all parts as the autumn officially began, the work to restore and recover the beaches of the Mar Menor, various of which were practically wiped out by floodwater only two weeks ago, is progressing with remarkable speed. In Los Alcázares at the Playa de las Palmeras the work is practically complete (although bathing in the Mar Menor is definitely not recommended as there is still debris to be recovered) and a little further south the Town Hall of Cartagena is ready to begin the final phase of the restoration and clean-up operation – the beaches between La Manga and Mar de Cristal are already cleaned and restored, although in Los Nietos and Los Urrutias there is still plenty of work to be done.
In San Javier, meanwhile, water quality analyses are sufficiently good to allow swimming at all of the Mar Menor beaches except Castillicos (as of Friday morning), although the Mediterranean beaches of La Manga are still closed due to uncertainty over the situation regarding the thousands of tuna which escaped their fish farm enclosure during the gota fría. Around 1,300 dead bluefin tuna have been recovered from the sea and the beaches but over 7,000 are still unaccounted for and it is not known whether they have survived in the open sea.
In this context it seems incredible that only as recently as Monday of this week did the first schools re-open after the flooding in Los Alcázares, with the Mayor forecasting that the streets of the town will be cleared of mud by the end of the month. As a result of this speedy clear-up, it may actually be possible to build the five bathing jetties which are planned in and around Los Urrutias, for which the green light was at last given this week by a favourable environmental impact report!
Logically there have been worries over the possible knock-on effect on tourism in the Costa Cálida, with hotels in the Mar Menor area reporting a rash of cancellations following the flooding, but if the situation continues to improve and the weather remains warm, the situation for the hostelry trade may improve.
At the same time, local and regional authorities have begun to complete their initial assessment of the spending which will be needed to repair public buildings and infrastructures. The regional government has produced an overall figure of over 400 million euros, and now the arguments can begin over who should fund the expense (national, regional or local authorities), while the Town Halls of Los Alcázares, Murcia and Cartagena have reached totals of 28, 17 and 5.5 million euros respectively.
Similarly, attention is beginning to turn to what flood prevention measures might be implemented in order to reduce flooding in future gota fría storms, and a panel of experts has been convened by the regional government in order to weigh up the options in the areas of the Mar Menor, the Campo de Cartagena and the Guadalentín valley.
However, there are still grave doubts over the extent to which the marine environment and wildlife of the Mar Menor will have survived the influx of huge quantities of fresh water carrying debris of all kinds including mud and fertilizers from the farmland of the Campo de Cartagena. Numerous alarms have been sounded during the week, related to occurrences such as the appearance of dead seahorses, pipefish and needlefish on the beaches and then hundreds of dead fish being washed ashore on other locations.
There are numerous opinions regarding exactly how the gota fría has affected the marine environment, but the latest data leave no room for doubt that the consequences could be long-reaching. For example, the amount of chlorophyll in the lagoon has shot up from under 1 milligram per cubic metre of water a couple of months ago to just under 16 mg.
At the same time average visibility is suddenly down to a depth of only 0.82 metres, a huge disappointment after earlier this year it was possible to see to a depth of almost 5 metres, and even more importantly salinity has plunged from 46 PSU to 39 after remaining more or less steady for two years. This is a key factor which seriously affects marine life as the change in salinity, particularly in the shallow areas near to the shore, changes the conditions for saltwater marine life, while another which has come to light during the week is acute hypoxia (lack of oxygen) in the water below a depth of around 3 metres, according to one group of scientific anlaysts.
These abrupt changes are bound to affect all species living in the water (and many of those on the shore), including fish, the famous prawns, other molluscs, amphibians and sea birds.
But there is hope, and the situation may not be as grim as some observers are warning. While populations have been reduced scientists from the University of Murcia have established that seahorses, pipefish, fan mussels and other species have survived the gota fría, and fishermen report catching (and releasing) numerous live seahorses in their nets. They have also noticed only a very slight decrease in the numbers of sea bass being caught, and it has to be remembered that the lagoon has been existence for approximately 2 million years, since the spit of land known as La Manga was formed.
In the intervening period it has survived countless episodes of flooding and other setbacks, and nature has a way of righting itself. The higher chlorophyll levels have led to fears of a repeat of the algal bloom which turned the lagoon green in 2016, but on the other hand the lack of transparency in the water may prevent light from reaching plants and therefore stop the "eutrophication" process.
Of course, it is only in recent times that the floodwater has contained such high concentrations of fertilizers and nitrates, but while on the one hand blind optimism should be discouraged, so too should over-pessimism!
Mosquito warning in Calblanque regional park after gota fría storm: visitors are advised to avoid parts of the park in the late afternoon and evening as eggs laid in stagnant floodwater begin to hatch. In another regional park, that of the salt flats and sand dunes of San Pedro del Pinatar, anti-mosquito spraying has been stepped up as the pest control service redoubles its efforts, while the Town Hall of Murcia has taken to the air, spraying likely hotbeds from a helicopter with up to 10,000 litres of insecticide a day.
Expats stage protest in Málaga as worries grow over post-Brexit rights
Earlier this year the Spanish government introduced urgent legislation to protect the rights of UK nationals living in this country after a possible no-deal Brexit, even guaranteeing them the right to vote in local elections in May weeks after the United Kingdom was originally scheduled to leave the EU, but it appears that those rights could still be in jeopardy due to reciprocal measures to protect the rights of Spaniards in the UK not having been specified by the UK government. Obviously many foreign residents are also concerned about the continuing uncertainty over how and even whether Brexit will go ahead at the end of October.
In the light of this and of their disappointment with Article 50 and the fact that long-term expats were not allowed to vote in the Brexit referendum, expats staged a march in Málaga last weekend, many of them expressing the view that the Spanish government appears to have done more to help protect rights such as the one to public healthcare than its counterpart in London.
Almost immediately, as if to underline the late hour at which steps are being taken to protect expats, an open letter signed by Michael Brodie, the Chief Executive of the NHS Business Services Authority, offered last-minute guidance as to what should be done now to prepare for the possibility of the UK leaving the EU without securing a deal, was addressed to all pensioners holding an S1 form on the grounds that Brexit may affect their access to healthcare.
Later in the day the British Consulate posted on its social media, "You may be aware of an announcement by the UK government today on transitional healthcare arrangements. We want to reassure UKNs in Spain that the UK and Spain have each taken steps to ensure that people living in each country can continue to access healthcare as they do now until at least 31 December 2020. This means that if you are currently living in Spain and the UK currently pays for your healthcare, for example you are an S1 form holder, your healthcare access will remain the same after 31 October 2019 until at least 31 December 2020."
Obviously, we await news of the formal agreements between the two nations and how Brexit will affect those planning to move to Spain in the future as well as information about the many other ways in which we will all be affected by Brexit.
Other stories in the news this week
Emaciated horse rescued from death in Lorquí: the Town Hall is paying for veterinary treatment at the University of Murcia after the animal was found starving to death on a plot of land just outside the town.
Desperate African migrants throw themselves into the sea off Cabo de Palos: 22 Algerians were rescued as a fishing vessel drifted 3 miles from the coast and some attempted to swim ashore.
2.8-degree earthquake felt in Fortuna and Abanilla on Sunday: reeports of the ground shaking were received from as far away as Torrevieja.
Granada cyclists hailed as heroes after rescuing drowning deer: the rescuers hauled the deer out of floodwater by its antlers in a dramatic rescue!
Thomas Cook owes Spanish tourism businesses 200 million euros: the collapse of global travel group Thomas Cook has affected tourists and companies all over the world, and in Spain there is considerable concern over the effect which the declaration of insolvency on Monday will have on the international tourism sector in this country. Some hotels in the Balearics and the Canaries are reported to have issued guests will bills for the amounts owed by Thomas Cook, effectively warning them to “pay up or get out”.
Meanwhile, during the operation to repatriate stranded tourists a 67-year-old British woman died while waiting for a flight out of Reus airport in southern Catalunya, after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Murcia Guardia Civil dispose of artillery shell and hail cannon flares in Albacete: the explosives were found on rural land and were disposed of in controlled detonations.
Supreme Court rules in favour of the exhumation of Franco: the remains of the dictator will be re-interred in the family pantheon in Mingorrubio, in the El Pardo district of Madrid.
Local police officer arrested in marijuana plantation bust in Totana: 100 plants weighing over a ton were confiscated by the Guardia Civil.
16-year-old father throws dead baby into the River Besòs in Barcelona: the under-age father is in custody facing a probable murder charge after being seen while attempting to bury the baby and throwing it into the water instead.
Murcia Town Hall helps shred agricultural waste rather than burning it: the scheme generates compost and reduces air pollution through agricultural burning, making so much sense from an environmental point of view that it is hard to understand how it has taken so long to be introduced!
Cieza arsonist causes 18,000 euros’ worth of damage by burning 16 rubbish containers: 13 of the fires in a Cieza industrial estate were started during just one day and the motive appears to have been purely personal satisfaction, as once the containers were alight the man remained at the scene of the crime to admire the blazes he had started.
Murcia Guardia Civil prepares firearms auction in late November: the 773 weapons at the sealed bid auction include 2 arquebuses!
Consum supermarkets save 6,600 tons of food from the bin with donations to those in need: over 58,000 people benefitted from Consum’s Programa Profit scheme last year.
Food shopping in Spain is cheapest at supermarkets in Murcia and Galicia: a consumer survey finds that Alcampo and Mercadona stores are the cheapest in Murcia and Cartagena.
Rare sighting of huge leatherback sea turtle off the coast of Mazarrón: the fourth heaviest reptile on Earth can dive to depths of over a kilometre and sightings in this part of the Mediterranean are extremely unusual.
Charges to be introduced at free car park in the centre of San Pedro del Pinatar: local businesses anticipate a loss in revenue to competition from out-of-town shopping malls.
Murcia and Spanish property news
On various occasions over the last few years it has been anticipated that Brexit may have a negative effect on Spanish property sales to British buyers, and data published this week by the country’s registrars suggest that at long last, with uncertainty over the exit from the EU as intense as ever, this just may be starting to be the case.
According to the registrars British buyers were responsible for 13.31 per cent of all purchases by non-Spaniards in the second quarter of 2019, equating to a total of over. In absolute terms the 2,140 transactions represent only a very slight decrease, but the proportion is the lowest since comparable data were first compiled: if the trend continues the effects could be especially noticeable in Alicante, where almost half of all sales are to non-Spaniards, and the Region of Murcia (19.35 per cent).
Meanwhile, in Murcia it appears that the market continues to recover, albeit gradually. One measure of this is that as promoters are encouraged by increased demand for residential property the market price of urban land plots in the Region rose by 2.3 per cent in the second quarter of this year (although on the other hand the number of transactions and the amount of land changing hands were both significantly lower than those reported a year previously).
The report containing these data also reinforce the impression that the recovery is slowing in areas where it began earliest: the regional breakdown shows that the price of urban land has fallen over the last year by 9 per cent in large towns and cities in Madrid and by 1.2 per cent in the same category in Catalunya.
Elsewhere it was interesting to read this week that apparently the Banco Santander is making an attempt to resurrect the Novo Carthago resort project in Cartagena, close to the shore of the Mar Menor.
The odds are stacked against Novo Carthago ever being built: not only has its construction been declared at least partially illegal due to its encroaching on the salt marsh of Lo Poyo, but the original promoter Hansa no longer owns the land on which the two golf courses, 6,000 homes and 2 hotels of the development were to be located. In addition, possible irregularities in the way in which the relevant licences were granted were the subject of extended investigations in which the roles of many leading local and regional political figures were called into question.
But it is reported in regional newspaper La Verdad that the new owner of the land, the Banco Santander, is attempting to set the wheels back in motion for a revised version of the original project to go ahead after all!
New law in Andalucía opens the door for the regularization of over 320,000 illegally built homes: light at the end of a decade-long tunnel for thousands of British expats in Andalucía as new legislation is passed which amounts to a near complete amnesty.
The Decree recognizes that there are 327,583 illegally built homes in Andalucía, many thousands of them owned by British expats who bought in good faith when seeking their dream home in the sun, and now at long last most of the owners have a way out of the nightmare of being unable to sell and powerless to fight demolition orders.
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