One of the problems produced by the constant rainfall is the rise in the water-table, which has flooded out basements in Almuñécar and La Herradura, one of which is the Aquarium, which had to be closed down for about a week to pump the encroaching water out.
The Aquarium issued a press release on the 28th to announce a re-opening for the next day. Apart from the Aquarium employees themselves, muncipal maintenance workers and local firemen sweated away to bail out what had already entered and repair leaks to prevent more from entering.
According to the local leader of the PSOE, Francisco Prados, the rising water had almost reached the electricity mains box, and had already knocked out a drainage pump, requiring an immediate and concentrated effort from all concerned.
Over in La Herradura, the watertable had also leaked into the Civic Centre, the Centro Río Jate and the basement of the Municipal Market.
In the case of the Centro Civico, whichwas inaugurated only three years ago, and which sits right next to the Rambla del Espinar, the building’s installed pump has been fighting a losing battle to stop the infiltration underneath the auditorium stage. The rising water affected the first row of seats, as well as damaging the wooden floor.
Meanwhile, back in Almuñécar, the Roman Aqueduct that was swamped by the 2007 flood again started to fill up. That flood wiped out all the lighting and now it is feared that the new equipment could have been damaged, as well.
Visitors to the Majuelo will have seen that the archeological foundations of the fish-salting factory have also filled, converting them into a series of mini ponds.
Ironically, almost a decade ago, the Town Hall, with the backing of all political parties, agreed to make it obligatory for all new constructions to have their basements properly waterproofed and for existing buildings to carry out such work, as well. This was the fruit of a previous rise in the water table. However, looking around both Almuñécar and La Herradura, it really doesn’t seem that anybody has taken the blindest notice, does it?