4,000 residents still waiting for fit water supply in Albox, Almeria

ROW erupted over ‘unfit’ water supplies to an Almeria town at the first Municipal Conference on water. A spokesman for the Popular Party (conservatives), Juan Pedro Perez, threw the first punch when he declared: “The socialist mayor of Albox Rogelio Mena does not want the citizens to have drinking water,” firmly putting the focus on the town’s lack of a quality water supply.

According to Perez, Galasa stopped treating Albox’s water supply in 2009 following payment defaults by the PSOE (socialist) led council. The Junta de Andalucia, he claims, took over the contract and simply “advised residents to buy bottled water, even for brushing their teeth”.

He explained that the water source is “over-exploited and contains salts, sulphates, and chlorides and is extracted despite being classified by the Ministry of Health as unsuitable for consumption due to high levels of radioactivity.” 

In a further bid to draw attention to the council’s shortcomings, Perez alleged that Gestagua had ‘fraudulently’ made a €1million payment to the PSOE in May 2011, in exchange for a 40 year concession and an agreement to raise prices by 30 per cent. 

Rogelio Mena (PSOE), described the charges as “irresponsible” and “false”, and challenged the PP spokesman to prove his allegations in court, whilst reminding him of his administration’s investment to bring drinking water to the municipality’s 4,000 residents.

On the subject of water quality, Mena reiterated that his team are “still working on the matter” and was “convinced that the public were going to get drinking water.” He added: “Our decisions on water are always founded on the general interest of citizens.”

In the previous 13 tests carried out on Albox’s water, The Ministry of Health has classified it as “unfit for human consumption” on four separate occasions including an analysis of the latest samples taken on March 11 of this year.