Deputy Environment Councillor for the Province of Málaga, Miguel Esteban Martin, has presented a report to the 22 municipalities of the Serranía de Ronda slamming the quality of ground water and lack of waste water treatment plants in the strongest attack yet on local government in the Serranía.
Pollution, low quality of drinking water, and lack of adequate waste water treatment have been identified as causes for concern that require urgent attention, with 17 of the 22 municipalities in breach of EU water health regulations.
Only four town halls in the Serranía have taken steps to improve the quality of water, they being Ronda, El Burgo, Parauta, and Gaucín, who each have a functioning waste water treatment plant, though none have facilities for recycling water, all of which currently enters the rivers and waterways of the Serranía.
The provincial report indicates that 84% of rivers and streams in the Serranía are technically in breach of rules established by the Water Framework Directive (WFD) of the EU, with the worst rivers being the Genal and Guardiaro. The Guardiaro in particular has very high levels of fecal streptococci, coliform, ammonia, and nitrogen released into the river by neighbouring pig farms.
On a positive note, the report highlights that groundwater in the Serranía is generally in good health, although the hardness of the water isn’t adequately softened before entering the drinking water supply. The provincial report is also critical of a large golfing development planned for Ronda which is describes as not viable from the standpoint of environmental sustainability and management of water resources.
In another note, the report is critical of Ronda for having the highest number of animal deaths from poisoned bait in all of Andalucía, with 30 cases reported between 2001 and 2007.
The report is generally positive of solid waste recycling efforts, with collection of glass, plastics, and papers up on previous years. In addition, the average amount of waste generated by each individual in the district is still considered the lowest in the province at 1.66kg per day per person.
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