 |
 |
A dreadful business indeed. Several people have come along to the COPE offices to complain about the large trench that is slashing through La Paratá, a residential zone on the western end of Mojácar. The trench has been cut to hold a large pipe which will, in the fullness of time, provide water from the desalination plant in Carboneras to the consumers stretching east as far as Villaricos. As an observer has it - taking water from the sea, and transporting it twenty kilometres back to the sea. But, as they say, routes and plans in Spain are often decided more by commisions and politics rather than by simple expediency.
The mess caused by the AcuaMed water-pipe, with a trench of anything up to 16 metres wide, beggars belief. Old olive and algarrobo trees have been tossed, walls and parts of gardens taken out and, in a gesture towards protecting the environment (very important these days to pay someone to handle this), a long string of orange plastic fencing has been put up alongside the trench to stop the tortoises from ambling out of the undergrowth and, one can only suppose, falling to their deaths. However, since the fence only touches the ground occasionally, it wouldn't be of much use to any tortoise smaller than a sheep.
The mayoress of Mojácar, Rosa María Cano, has written a letter to the representative of the Junta de Andalucía's environment ministry, Juan José Luque, making these points clear, ordering him to call for the work to cease immediately and adding that when the time comes for various protest groups to take an active role against the AcuaMed company's instalations, to expect the town hall of Mojácar to join in.
 |
 |
The letter immediately caused a stir in the provincial newspapers and a surprised Juan José Luque immediately passed the blame to AquaMed while admitting that his function was to make sure that the work followed the strict lines of operation and that he would make sure that this was the case.
Earlier this year, the people of Sopalmo organised a protest against a giant water-deposit that is being built above the small community which lies closer towards Carboneras. The pipes go through the hamlet itself and, during the April protest a manifesto was read out by Ángel Medina (the candidate and later councillor for Ciudadanos Europeos de Mojácar) against the high-handed approach of the Junta de Andalucía's plans for this area.
As the neighbours attempt to clean up the mess, re-string their fences or re-build their walls (always careful never to trip over a tortoise), they can't help wondering what will be happening to those residents unfortunate enough to live on the route that will be chosen (still not yet) by the government's engineers for the high-speed train, the AVE. Residents in Turre and Vera spending tense times wondering if they will be affected and how will they be treated. |
