ISSUE NO. 1666
8 - 14 June 2017
A XARQUÍA - C OSTA T ROPICAL
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
Waste of space Council officials named in toxic dump probe
ILLEGAL SITE: Reportedly lacks official paperwork and may pose a serious environmental threat. By Matt Ford Local businessmen and public officials from Nerja are among a group of 40 people being i n v e st i g a t e d i n a Guardia Civil environmental probe. Among those implicated are the mayor, Rosa Arrabal and her predecessor Jose Alberto Armijo, plus a number of other current and former councillors and 26 entrepreneurs. It comes as enquiries into an allegedly illegal landfill site, which reportedly lacks official paperwork and may pose a serious environmental threat, near their conclusion. All of the suspects must now appear before a judge in a case headed by detectives from SEPRONA, the Guardia’s nature protection offshoot. The dumping ground is
said to be at least 15 years old and by the end of 2016 covered a staggering 36,000 square metres adjacent to th e L a M ie l R iv e r w ith in the protected Pinar y Dehesa del Rio Chillar and Sierra de Tejera, Almijara y Alhama natural parks. Investigators say that the site has seen “uncontrolled fly-tipping of all types of dangerous construction and demolition waste, plus large amounts of cut vegetation.” They concluded that the tip represents a “serious danger to the environment and the balance of natural
ecosystems, as well as a significant fire risk.” The space is supposedly ma na ge d by a s oc ie ty formed by five companies w ith the tow n ha ll fully aware. They are accused of issuing ‘false certificates’ suggesting the landfill to be lega l to c lie nts w ho contracted them for waste management. Experts also found that there is no rainwater drainage system, that waste is deposited directly on the ground, and that controls for emissions and accumu-
la tion of na tura l ga s e s , some flammable, are entirely lacking, while there are no fire breaks or perimeter fencing. The situation is further complicated by the presence of rare flora, including en-
dangered species, meaning a wild fire could have ‘catastrophic’ consequences on bi odi ver si t y and even threaten the nearby MaroCerro Gordo cliffs. The investigation continues.
Pensioner drowning inquest A POLICE investigation has been launched after the body of an 8 0 - y e a r- o l d local woman was found floating in the sea near Caleta de Velez Marina. She was pulled from the water by the local coastguard just after 3.30pm, but nothing could be done to save her. Detectives suspect that her death was accidental, with eyewitnesses describing how they had seen her stumbling on rocks shortly before she died. One of her knees appeared to be damaged, but the injuries may have resulted from her b e i n g b u ff e t e d b y waves. She has been identified only by the initials VSR and apparently resided on Calle Real in Caleta.