Compromís: “The sewage system is not on the political agenda of this government”

Tuesday 22nd March 2022 – Mike Smith
Source: original article – Carlos López

Emergency solution. The Department of Services has sealed the manhole cover that was forced open after the collapse of the drainage system during the heavy rains. It is the only cover, of those that run along the Gorgos riverbed, which did not have a closure reinforcement system and early this Monday, municipal technicians have closed it again, placing an iron bar with a padlock to keep it sealed.

But the damage had already been done and discarded wet wipes and miscellaneous debris continue to wash up on to the coast of Xàbia and the recent maritime storm has left the Primer Montañar covered with this hygienic product that people have disposed into the sewage systems. In addition, the Ecologistas en Acción environmental group has also noted wet wipes washed up in the area of ​​Cala del Ministro in the Arenal.

Meanwhile, at the political level, the opposition has once again shown its discomfort with the inaction of the government team to try to resolve this major problem. Yesterday afternoon, C’s spokesman, Enrique Escrivá, posted a message on his Facebook page, in which he demanded “a plan” with a schedule of performances “in the short, medium and long term”.

Escrivá also highlighted that “we know nothing about the sewerage subcommittee” and that in November the government team announced that it was going to contract “a geographic information system to monitor it”, a contract that has not yet been carried out.

The councilor for Compromís, Vicent Colomer, told Xàbia AL DÍA that “sewage is not on the political agenda of the government team” and stated that the local government “looks the other way” on this matter. According to him, he has highlighted each public denunciation of the environmentalists, but “the next day they go and close it”. He remarked that “the problem is that we are selling quality tourism and on the other hand we throw wipes into the sea”. For this reason, he has insisted that Compromís will continue to demand more involvement from the local government.

Meanwhile, PP spokesperson, Rosa Cardona, has also referred to questions from Xàbia AL DÍA about the sewage situation and the complaints from the ecologists and has underlined that a year ago her party called for a commission of investigation and detailed study “in order to find a definitive solution to the mistreatment that is being caused to the Gorgos River and the coastline of Xàbia coast”.

According to the PP: “the urgent solution is to clean the areas and remove the wipes” but she has asked what actions the local government has developed so that the problem does not recur, and she herself answers “nothing at the moment”.

“We are in the same situation as the first day, with the municipal government that for a year has been preparing the tender to hire a company to carry out the diagnosis of the sanitation network,” she stressed.

In addition Cardona has commented that in the proposal for the Commission “we ask that the work be completed before the end of 2021 to take measures and act urgently throughout the sanitation system to have the definitive solution and that there are no more discharges”.

What the three councilors are also asking for is that we stop throwing the wipes down the toilet, while the solutions come from the politicians.