ISSUE NO. 1656
30 Mar - 5 Apr 2017
Stop Press
A XARQUÍA - C OSTA T ROPICAL
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
Dog’s life
DON’T MISS OUR PROPERTY SUPPLEMENT INSIDE! PAGES 21 - 28
Water warning Photo Credit: Wikimedia
Dam just 40 per cent full as summer approaches By Francesca Souter and Matt Ford Agricultural groups have warned that if spring rains fail to increase resources, tight water restrictions might have to be applied across Axarquia this summer. The Viñuela reservoir, the largest in the province, is at 40 per cent of capacity, well below the average for the last 10 years. Another mild, relatively dry winter has now led to fears over how irrigation and Malaga’s agricultural sector will be affected during the coming summer. President of the Agrarian Association of Young Farmers (ASAJA), Baldomero Bellido, has insisted that despite the recent wet weather, the reservoirs are struggling for the third consecutive year. Rain storms over the winter months have been highly localised, with dramatic flooding incidents on the coast while inland reservoirs received little water. The mild weather has already upset olive production, with harvests well below expectations, although this was compensated for to an extent by higher oil prices. Meanwhile, Avocado farmers are set to make a profit despite the arid weather conditions. Regardless of this,
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FOUR people have been arrested in Malaga on suspicion of arranging illegal dog fights involving dangerous breeds. According to detectives, the fights took place regularly between 2011 and 2017, while some of those arrested also raised and sold puppies of potentially dangerous dog breeds without obtaining the required docuSee page 2 mentation.
Waste of time WORK on Nerja’s first sewage plant has once again stalled with only 80 per cent of the plant completed, as the Junta de Andalucia’s revised deadline of June last year fades into the distance.
This problem is just the latest in a catalogue of recent incidents, one of which saw a pipe burst 400 metres off Burriana beach, creating a ‘geyser’ of raw sewage. See page 3
Captain speedy ALMUÑECAR Police intercepted a car which sped 14 kilometres along the wrong side of the A-7 motorway, weaving in and out of oncoming traffic. A spokesman said that the man, from Gualchos in Granada Province, appeared to be heavily inebriated and had difficulty walking properly and talking coherently. See page 6
WATER CRISIS: Farmers fear lack of water will have big consequences.
the Trops collective of growers have stressed that the situation is far from ideal. “It has to rain more now,” they said in a statement. “Otherwise, our success will depend on whether the promised works to improve irrigation infrastructure are completed or not, whether that involves connecting the Rio Chillar to the Viñuela system or to have surpluses elsewhere.” Bellido made it clear that the Junta de Andalucia needs
to address the problems in the Viñuela reservoir, “since avocados and mangoes, alongside olives, have become one of the most important economic pillars of the agricultural sector in Malaga.” The onus is now on the Andalucian government to take action, according to the growers, although their repeated requests to divert yet more rivers and natural resources towards a booming
subtropical fruit industry is likely to be met with howls of derision from environmental groups.
Pension pledge FOR those 450,000 living in the EU who are worried about the possibility of their state pensions being frozen in the same way they are for other overseas residents once Britain
leaves the EU, Jeremy Corbyn has offered some words of comfort. A motion to change this situation is to be debated in the House of Commons. See page 8