Spain may be fined millions for long delays in providing adequate sewage treatment
Polluted waters in the Guadalhorce river, next to Estación de Cártama. / Paula Hérvele
Brussels is asking for 46.5 million euros for sewage problems in 17 towns, including Nerja, Estepona, Marbella, Coín and Alhaurín el Grande
17 January 201710:12
Delays in guaranteeing adequate sewage treatment could end up costing the authorities a great deal, not only because of the effects on the environment and the repercussion in the tourist industry of the Costa del Sol, but also in financial terms.
Flushed away? 145 million euros raised but only 11 million estimated to have been spent
It was on 26 October 2010 that the Junta de Andalucía approved an ambitious plan to ensure that all sewage in the region is properly treated and none is released into the sea. The plan involved 300 works at a cost of 1.76 billion euros, of which 390.1 million would be spent in Malaga province, on about 50 different projects but especially eliminating black spots such as the Guadalhorce river (into which sewage generated by 100,000 people is released every day), and the 30 villages in the Genal valley, the north of the province and La Axarquía which still have no sewage treatment. Some of the existing plants on the Costa del Sol were also to be enlarged and improved.
This would be financed by State and European funds, but also by the taxpayer because since May 2011 every water bill has included an extra charge for this purpose. Under the Water Law of Andalucía, the money obtained this way should be reinvested in building, enlarging and modernising sewage plants and similar facilities. In reality, however, the works have not been carried out, although people are still having to pay approximately three euros a month for them. Between May 2011 and June this year, the Junta received 390.9 million euros from this extra water charge, of which an estimated 145 million were paid by people in Malaga province.
Where is this money? What has been done with it? The Junta's Environmental Department says this is a regional tax and money obtained from one province does not have to be invested in that province: it can be used for projects anywhere in Andalucía. However, the works which have been carried out in Malaga province are estimated to have cost around 11 million euros, and in these six years the only works to have been completed were already under way and should not have been paid for by this extra water charge .
Five years after the European Justice Tribunal condemned Spain because in 2001 there were 37 towns with more than 15,000 inhabitants which were not treating sewage properly, the European Commission has become tired of waiting and has decided to take Spain to court again because in 17 of these cases the problem has still not been resolved.
The EC will now ask the Tribunal to put the sentence into effect and fine Spain at least 46.5 million euros, plus a further fine of 171,217 euros a day if the works have still not been carried out by the time the judges issue their second resolution.
The list of black spots includes Marbella (San Pedro), Estepona, Nerja, Alhaurín el Grande and Coín. Benalmádena and Torrox used to be on the list but sewage plants were installed there by the Junta de Andalucía in 2007 and 2011 respectively.
The worst case is Nerja, which is the only municipality on the coast of Malaga province which releases its sewage into the sea with no previous filtering whatsoever. Work on a treatment plant began in January 2014 but has been subject to delays and is now expected to be completed in mid-2017.
According to Brussels, Spain has delayed too long in resolving this problem, because under EU rules towns with more than 15,000 inhabitants are supposed to have been treating their sewage correctly since 1 January 2001. The problem is not exclusive to Malaga province, and action is also likely to be taken against Spain because 912 villages with more than 2,000 inhabitants have failed to comply with the directive to install adequate sewage treatment facilities before January this year.
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