31 Aug - 6 Sept 2017
COSTA BLANCA SOUTH
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On the edge Mar Menor controversy continues By Darren James Murcia’s Regional Assembly insists that it is safe to swim in Mar Menor. The stance comes after two campaign groups, the Pact for Mar Menor and the Neighbourhood Association of the Crystal Sea, last Saturday submitted an official complaint over deteriorating water quality in the lagoon which has been suffering from serious environmental issues for almost two years. Antonio Luengo, director general of Mar Menor, claims that accusations of increases in cloudiness and the amount of green algae in the water are unfounded because the temperature has been high. “We can say with certainty that the waters are excellent for swimming according to analyses by the health department,” he said. “The Mar Menor remains a unique area with great
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added value for our tourism.” Mr Luengo went on to explain how a cleaning team commissioned by the regional authority and comprising 12 people who work five days per week have removed 208 tonnes of rubbish and debris since April. He also insisted that frothy build-ups close to the shore are “not caused by chemicals, but are formed by a natural process.”
Flashback The EWN Front page report on January 5, 2017.
Bin and gone ALICANTE City is bracing itself for two public service strikes. A standoff between tram drivers and the regional council will see services reduced to a minimum 60 per cent on lines 1, 2, 3, 4 and 9 today (Thursday) from 8.30-10.30am, 1-4 pm, 6.30-8pm and 11pm-midnight. The same reduced service will operate tomorrow, with drivers planning further protests on September 8, 18, 20, 22, 29 and 30. Municipal rubbish collection employees are also scheduled to begin industrial action of their own on Saturday. Teams will refuse to begin their shifts on time, starting an hour late on Friday and Saturday nights and Mondays and Saturday day shifts until further notice. The dispute is over salaries, with staff outraged over what they view as an inadequate rise this year.
The lagoon, the largest of its kind in Europe and protected under law, was earlier this year described as “an ecological disaster” and “a desert of mud” by a team from the Spanish Institute of Oceanography.
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