Almuñécar Town Hall has called in an expert; a professor of Civil Engineering to carry out a study of the earth movements under Carmenes del Mar.

Professor Luis Sopeña Matías will take about two months in order to carry out the task, at the request of the Municipal Surveyor, Juan José Fernández Peña.

As the Councillor for Urban Development, Javier García, needed an “evaluation” of the actual state of the hillside and suggestions as to the correctional measures needed to stop it sliding further, the Municipal Surveyor considered that an external study was needed.

The professor is no stranger to the Cerro Gordo situation as he has provided a report to the Town Hall in 2011.

Professor Sopeña will have to inspect the urbanización to find out what the present situation is and update the geotechnical map that was drawn up in 2016. Then he must come up with the countermeasures to be taken, what stages and order they must be carried out, based on the risk factor of each affected area.

Editorial comment: without any doubt, the Town Hall already knows what state it is in and what needs to be done, so this “step” appears to be a case of kicking the can further down the road and to gain time – perhaps not. Perhaps they’re stalling to see if Nature will take its course and ‘sort it out’ for them – we find ourselves during the months of the year that see most rainfall, after all.

(News: Herradura, Costa Tropical, Granada Andalucia)