Black marks Disgrace Spectacular verses

THE Costa del Sol and Costa de la Luz have been singled out as key black spots for the ‘chronic cancer’ of environmental destruction.

An environmental charity has slammed both coastlines for the continuing urban ‘over-development’ they face. Ecologistas en Accion is partic-

Tarifa, Vejer and the Costa del Sol handed black flags for serious environmental destruction ularly concerned about the two hotspots of Tarifa and Vejer de la Frontera.

The green group says both face ‘uncontrolled illegal construction’ with an alarming amount of further planned development, as revealed by the Olive

Turning The Tap On

ESTEPONA is planning a €20m desalination plant to ease the pressure on dwindling water supplies.

The three year scheme was adopted as being of ‘urgency and a necessity’ for the town.

Mayor Jose Maria Garcia insisted guaranteeing water to residents is ‘a priority’, not just to for drinking water, but to ‘ensure the strength of the local economy.’

It comes after record lows saw the Vinuela reservoir sit at just 9.7% capacity - or a meagre 16 cubic hectometres of water last week.

Across Malaga province the reservoirs sit at just 30.5% of their total capacity.

In Almeria the levels are at just 15.1%, while in Cadiz they sit at 25% and Granada at 32%.

By Alberto Lejarraga

Press last year.

Much of it, around Atlanterra, and close to Tarifa’s virgin Valdevaqueros beach, has already been approved by the local town hall.

The number of illegal homes around El Palmar, meanwhile, is leading to the discharge of untreated sewage into the sea. The green group has also handed a black flags to the town halls along the entire length of the Costa del Sol, for its continual overdevelopment.

“The Malaga coastline has excessive light pollution generated by industry and mass tourism,” added a spokesman. The three areas are among 48 beaches singled out for black marks around the country this year.

An alarming ten are in Andalu cia, with Huelva city particularly fragile after a damaging oil spill in February, while nearby La Antilla beach gets one for overdevelopment. Meanwhile ‘recognitions’ were handed to Almeria for its continuing scandal surrounding the illegal 411-room Algarrobico hotel. Granada comes under attack meanwhile, for urban abuses and pollution at La Herradura and Pozuelo-La Rabita. The environmental group, which annually exposes beaches suffering from pollution and poor management, defines the issue as a ‘chronic cancer’.

“We only choose 48 to not overwhelm people, but there are actually hundreds of natural spaces being destroyed,” spokesman Cristobal Lopez told the Olive Press.

A POEM by Virgil has been found engraved in an ancient Roman amphora.

The 1,800-year-old oil vat, found in Cordoba, featured the fated words of the legendary poet inside.

The fragments, measuring six by eight centimetres, were found by archaeologists at the Noguera site, near Fuente Palmera, in 2016.

After seven years of laborious work, an international team of archaeologists from Cordoba, Sevilla and Montpellier have confirmed words engraved were from the classical Roman poet. Virgil, who wrote the Aeneid , is credited with having a great influence on western literature, most notably Dante’s Divine Comedy , in which Virgil appears as the author's guide through hell and purgatory. It is not known where the extraordinary find will eventually be housed.

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Flags of shame

SPAIN’S natural beauty is legendary. Just take a look at our special supplement on the Costa de la Luz this edition.

Historic towns and villages give a glimpse into an older way of life while the laid-back lifestyle is a draw for those who want to escape the rat race and for tourists alike.

Together with some of the most stunning beaches in Europe it is natural that people want to visit and enjoy the stunning surroundings of spots like Valdevaqueros and El Palmar.

But - and this is a message the Olive Press has long hammered home through our Hands off our Costas campaign - the authorities should be careful not to ruin the very surroundings that attract people in the first place.

The stretch of Cadiz coast is one of the last bastions of virgin coastline left in Spain, with the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca and other costas so badly blighted by pollution and the scourge of overdevelopment.

While town halls (rightly) vie for Blue Flags to trumpet their beaches, putting an onus on them to clean up their act, Ecologists in Action have handed out some more unwelcome awards.

Some 48 playas in Spain have been given the dreaded Black Flag. These are designed to shame politicians into cleaning up pollution, protecting the environment and curbing further development. Many of us expect it on the Costa del Sol, but when this excellent pressure group highlights the largely unspoiled coastlines around Tarifa and Vejer it’s time to really take note.

The Olive Press has long stood shoulder to shoulder with the ecologists in opposing these plans - which we revealed last year. Enough is enough - protect our last costas from overdevelopment before they are all lost under a sea of concrete.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Alberto Lejarraga alberto@theolivepress.es

Jo Chipchase jo@theolivepress.es

John Culatto

ADMIN Victoria Humenyuk Makarova (+34) 951 273 575 admin@theolivepress.es

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