Residents in Motril’s Barrio San Antonio are desperate; a block of government-subsidized flats has its basement awash with sewage. And this hasn’t suddenly occurred, but has been a constant problem for the last seven years.

The problem appears to have been caused by ‘unofficial’ modifications in the said basement, where somebody had hammered around and broken the down pipe for the whole sewage system of the apartment block.

Apart from the stink and health risk, in the warmer weather there are mosquitoes ‘the size of donkeys,’ as one neighbour described them. But the stench is the worse for the immediate area, even though health issues are more serious.

The Chairwoman for the Asociación de Vecinos, María Agustias Jiménez, points out that the situation is dangerous. Firstly, because the foundations suffer continual damp, and secondly because the same people that broke the main, down pipe of the block’s sewage system, also laid about the supporting pillars.

The problem is that to put right the damage, it will cost quite a lot of money and the tenants aren’t exactly rich, so they are approaching every related public administration, including Public Health because of the serious risk of infections and disease. The problem is that because the block is so old, the Junta is no longer responsible for it – their responsibility ended with the part financing of its construction via grants to the developers.

As for the Town Hall, they say that they are “very worried” and are following the situation closely. The Town Hall prides itself with having erected a fence in front of the basement windows.

According to the Vice-Mayor and councillor of many titles/departments, Nicolás Navarro, he has brought the subject up with the Delegate for Housing at the Junta de Andalucía, Manuel Morales. Sr. Navarro says that the said gentleman responded that in the 2013 budget covering housing subsidies, the plight of San Antonio will be taken into consideration.

(News: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)