Measures fail to convince

A NEW tank has been installed on the filter of the water purification system in El Trapiche, Velez-Malaga, which will allow the public water and sanitation company Axaragua to recover 190,000 litres of water previously discharged in local streams.

The deficit was enforced due to a lack of connectivity within the filter’s circuit, which dictated that the water could not be redirected.

During a visit to the new facility with Axarquia councillors, President of the Association of Costa del Sol municipalities, Gregorio Campos, said that “this amount represents 1.2 per cent of the total volume collected by La Viñuela reservoir, allowing us to save €23,000 per year.”

Axaragua has also fixed the perimeter fence around the installations, as well as concreting a stretch of hard shoulder adjacent to them in order to increase safety for pedestrians and drivers.

The move comes as environmental campaign group Ecologists in Action has filed a complaint with the provincial environmental board regarding their “unsustainable” management of water.

In the document, particular criticism is reserved for the “irresponsibility” of both the board and Junta de Andalucia in turning a blind eye to illegal irrigation, which allegedly accounts for almost half the water used for crops in Axarquia.