The Regional Ombudsman, José Chamizo, has not only been throwing lightning bolts at Benny over the state of Almuñécar, but he has also been casting them at the Junta de Andalucía, whom he accuses of tolerating urban development that elevated the risk of flooding.
The Junta, after struggling to brush off a blushing fit, replied that in 1998 they had carried out a survey on both the Río Verde and the Río Seco and what consequences heavy rainfall and flooding might have on the town. The conclusion of the survey was that neither river presented a serious concern. However, they did admit when the big flood came in 2007 the building development had elevated the risk of severe flooding, enormously. The urban expansion in Almuñécar during that decade contributed to the disaster. The Junta admits this, although they had the administrative and legal ‘tools’ to prevent this.
The Ombudsman underlines the apparent contradiction between the 1998 findings and the events of 2007 “How is it possible that the Junta consented to this dangerous urban growth,” the ombudsman’s office asks.
The Ombudsman report is long-winded, but in essence it says, the Junta presents itself as a mere spectator to the ridiculous level of urban expansion, whereas it is precisely the job of the Junta – whose task it is to approve or reject any municipal projects that must pass through their hands – to prevent it.