Residents of Granada village cut off while the authorities pass the buck

In the El Saltadero area of Albuñol in Granada province, it doesn't take much rain for the residents to be cut off.

All it takes is one storm, a couple of days of heavy rain, for the only access road to the houses in this area to be impassable, leaving around 20 residents "isolated".

After the latest storms that have passed along Granada's Costa Tropical in the last few days, the lane has become impassable again along several stretches of the track. Going up by car, unless it is in an all-terrain vehicle, is a "risk" and, when the rain is heavy, it is "impossible".

"Every time it rains, the road cracks and gets washed away," explains José Luis Puertas, a local resident who farms there. He explains that it was repaired a short time ago, but it has been damaged again. There is no more earth, just mud and rocks.

Some residents have had to make difficult decisions, like José Manuel Díaz, who has lived in the area since 2002: "I have had to sell my house because every time it rains the road is impassable. You can't live like that." He has decided to go to live in the village of La Rábita.

Concrete, machines and lorries full of earth have come out of the pockets of the residents time and again. The last one, just a few days ago, cost José Manuel 500 euros. "And even so, as soon as it rains again, it will be the same," he adds.

Pablo Sanjurjo, owner of seven farmhouses in the area, claims that even after spending large amounts of money the problem is not solved: "I have invested 12,000 euros in concreting some 180 metres, but the roads belong to everyone and the competent administration should maintain them," he argues.

Antonio Martín, who keeps animals in a farm in the area, explains he has to go up to his farm every day because he has to feed his livestock and there are older people who live there too, like Lola, who is in her 70s and has Alzheimer's and other conditions. Her daughter, Luisa Moreno, fears the worst: "When it rains, the ambulance can't come up. If there is and emergency, we don't know what will happen.

The residents have proposed a simple and cheap solution which is to make a cemented ditch and lay a pipe to divert the water into the ravine. "With a couple of concrete tanks and eight metres of pipe you can fix it. It's not a big job", they explain. They would also like to see the whole track, which is about 700 metres long, asphalted, which they say could be done with about six lorries of concrete at around 600 euros each.

They say that the real problems started in December 2024, when the first heavy rainfall damaged the lane, but even then the track was still passable, despite some difficulty. "The worst came in April," says Luisa. "It rained practically the whole month and the rain washed away the earth completely. Now all that's left is rock. Since then, only a few off-road vehicles have managed to climb and even then with difficulty. Access for cars is impossible. Vehicles get stuck," she points out.

They say that Albuñol town hall initially indicated that the most damaged section was a cattle track and therefore was the responsibility of the Junta de Andalucía. However, after consulting the land registry and contacting the regional government directly, the residents say that it was confirmed that this particular section is municipal property.

Mayor of Albuñol María José Sánchez maintains that the town hall has been calling for solutions for years: "This is a cattle track that gives access to numerous farms and farmhouses. We have presented motions at council meetings and raised the problem on many occasions. We understand the residents perfectly well, but we have received no response from the competent authority." However, the Junta de Andalucía states that the road "is not a cattle track, the plot indicated appears under the ownership of the town hall".

After months of letters and complaints, in July 2025 the town hall sent machines to repair some 200 metres of the most affected section. For a few weeks, the access improved and vans and lorries were able to drive up again, but with the winter rains it has deteriorated again.