After writing about the undermining on the Punta, and reassuring everyone that we were not suggesting that the area was about to fall into the sea, you can imagine my shock when that big old rock on the bend just before Chambao de Joaquin, came crashing down, completely blocking the road.
I have since seen a team of surveyors at the site, taking some sort of measurements, and the clean up is well under way as this article is being processed.
However, just a little way around the coast in Marina del Este, it appears the earth is on the move, and damaging properties. Blame for this is not being put at the door of mother nature, as many local people are complaining that both the Town Hall and the Junta should shoulder at least some of the blame. The problem is alleged to be the lack of maintenance to the underground drainage channels which run through man made galleries, and the Town Hall along with the Junta agree, after an inspection by municipal technicians, that the blame lies entirely with the management company for the lack of maintenance and strongly urged the them to carry out the required work to safeguard the area. They state that the company specifically comply with the agreement dated 10 April 2007. The engineers report puts the budget for the maintenance work at 309,000, and the Town Hall says that a fine will be imposed on the management company for every month the work is not done, each fine being 10% of the total cost. They also asked for details of any damage to buildings to be examined by an engineer and details submitted within 10 days.
The director of the company Manuel Raigón said, “The problems is not just the maintenance of the caves and channels, it is also an urban issue and more complex than it appears”.
There has since been a hearing at court in Granada, where a judge has said that the responsibility for making the galleries safe is not the management company’s alone, but should be shared with the Town Hall.