News
Early pests
Drought-hit farmers face large water cuts
The unusually warm weather has forced the authorities in Málaga to take action against nests of processionary caterpillars at 13 parks in the city populated by pine trees . The natural defences of the caterpillars , which do not normally emerge before early spring , can cause serious allergic reactions in humans . Areas of particular concern are those near schools , play areas and homes for the elderly .
Pool water
The mayor of Alcaucín wants the Axarquía Association of Municipalities to prohibit the use of drinking water to fill swimming pools . Mario Blancke says there are 500 pools in his municipality alone which can use over two million litres a month to make up for evaporation losses in the hot weather . He wants a ban on using mains water for pools during the summer .
Water problem
Frigiliana has launched an € 85,000 project to stop untreated water entering the Higuerón River as it flows through the town . Residents and ecological groups complained that dirty water had been flowing into the river at one or more points . Mayor Alejandro Herrero explained that the waste water collector pipes in the area are being renewed to stop the contamination .
Mango gin
A new gin made from mangos and marketed as Ballix has been launched by a Vélez-Málaga firm . The distillers Murex have an invested a year of trials and € 500,000 to produce the drink which they say is coloured orange , includes no additives and has an intensely fresh taste . Half a kilo of locally-produced Osteen mangos is needed for each litre of the gin .
Teenager dies
A 14-year-old Moroccan boy died last month while trying to enter Ceuta by clinging to the underside of a bus . Reports say he lost his grip as the vehicle was approaching the Tarajal border which separates Morocco from the Spanish enclave . The teenager was killed by being run over by the bus ’ s rear wheels .
As expected , water restrictions were agreed last month by the Junta de Andalucía in two areas of Málaga worst hit by drought : the Guadalhorce valley and the Axarquía . Authorities said that the intention was to reduce water available to agriculture in order to avoid restrictions in supplies to the public .
The situation in the Guadalhorce valley is not quite as serious because , says the Environment Department , it has more water resources , thanks to the storage at Guadalhorce , Conde de Guadalhorce and Guadalteba . Farmers and growers here have an allocation of 21 cubic hectometres of water , although its higher salt content lowers its quality .
National Police in Málaga are looking for the person who poured some kind of detergent into a private well in the Miraflores del Palo urbanisation , east of the city centre , last month . The well supplies drinking water to over 700 people in the urbanisation and neighbouring area .
The first sign of trouble came at night when reports came in of strongsmelling water with traces of foam coming out of taps . By 3.00am , police were going to door-to-door warning residents not to drink tap water or to use it for showering , and by breakfast time the next day , supplies were reduced to a muddy sludge .
Environment councillor Raúl Jiménez said someone had poured a , “ highly concentrated detergent ” into the well and tests were underway to discover if it was corrosive or poisonous . He added that the private well is not the responsibility of the town hall but that nearby reservoirs which are municipally controlled were also undergoing testing as a precaution . Police were working throughout the day to establish if the contamination was accidental or deliberate , and are
The restrictions are expected to come into effect in January following four years of low rainfall . The Junta de Andalucía is also to launch an awareness campaign in the hope of reducing public consumption by between five and ten per cent .
Meanwhile , AEMET , the state meteorological service , says last November is likely to be the driest for 36 years . It is forecasting that the current anti-cyclone , which is producing warm midday temperatures and chilly nights , will continue for the foreseeable future . And with December showing little hope of rain either , the last quarter of 2017 is set to become the driest since records began in 1941 .
Detergent pollutes Málaga drinking water
understood to have taken away a number of large empty water containers found in the area for forensic examination . The residents have now been told the water is safe to drink .
Border shooting
A 30-year-old French national was taken to hospital in Girona last month after being shot by police at a checkpoint near the Spanish border . Officers surrounding the car in which he was a passenger ordered him out but he returned twice . Finally , shouting , “ Allahu Akbar ,” he was shot in the leg when police saw he was holding a suspicious object .
Options taken
Two more companies are reported to have taken options on plots at Vélez- Málaga ’ s Agricultural Technology Park . Vegetable marketers Jalhuca Explotaciones and fertiliser manufacturer Agro-Trapiche look set to join two firms , Avomix and Embasur , already in business and a third , Sigfrido Fruit , which is in the process of construction at the site . Only three plots at the Park are now left vacant .
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