Malaga Weather Emergency: 1,500 people cut off in Casares after Guadiaro flood

The almost 1,500 inhabitants of the El Secadero village in Casares have been without access to the rest of Malaga province since Wedesday night.

The overflowing of the Guadiaro River forced the closure of the A-2102 road, which helps locals connect to the A-7 and AP-7 motorways.

The Camino de los Pescadores, which connects El Secadero with the agricultural area of the Guadiaro river, the Genal Valley and Casares, also remains blocked.

The river overflowed its banks around 3pm on Wednesday. This disrupted traffic and movement not only for El Secadero but also for San Martín del Tesorillo (in the province of Cadiz). The latter's population is around 2,700 people.

Mayor of Casares Juan Luis Villalón told SUR that there have been no power or signal cuts on Thursday, but the situation still concerns residents.

As the mayor said, the disruption has mostly triggered health-related complaints: "Cancer patients who have not been able to attend their daily treatment, medical appointments cancelled after a year and a half of waiting, consultations with cardiologists that have not been able to take place".

Villalón also said that there is "a pregnant woman who is due and fears she may give birth at any moment".

Moreover, many people have not been able to go to work and have had to request proof of absence from the local administrative office.

"Residents are fed up with the frequent repetition of such crises. This isolation, which used to take place sporadically, now happens regularly, affecting local businesses like the bakery in Secadero, which had to throw away its entire production due to the impossibility of distributing it," the mayor said.

Classes have been suspended and many high school and secondary school students have not been able to travel to their educational centres outside El Secadero.

The Guadiaro river

"The river's high flow rate and the high tide are making it difficult for the water to drain away, although the westerly wind is helping to some extent. The situation is expected to improve over the coming hours, when the tide is forecast to start receding," Villalón said.

The town hall has reminded the public that the affected road falls under the responsibility of the Andalusian regional government, which has been receiving requests for repairs for more than 20 years. It is a heavily used road that links the area with the coast and Sotogrande. It carries intense traffic from lorries and other vehicles, with at least one accident a month.

The mayor told SUR that he is going to request the installation of a flow meter on the Guadiaro in the area. The nearest meters are in San Pablo de Buceite, in the municipality of Jimena de la Frontera (Cadiz), in Majaceite, near Cortes de la Frontera (Malaga) and in Jubrique.

"Currently, the town hall informs 112 about the situation, based on knowledge of the river and its course," Villalón explained to justify the need for such a meter that will benefit residents and local institutions.

Landslide in Casares

A landslide was recorded on a hillside opposite Casares's historic centre, above the MA-8300 road, on Wednesday. Several homes are at risk of damages, as Villalón said. The mayor said that they will "carry out technical studies on the hillside because, at the very least, it needs to be stabilised to guarantee residents' safety".

Casares town hall has been prompted by the intense storms in January to work on a new emergency plan, "which will involve all local admin bodies, the regional government of Andalucía, the road network authorities and the provincial authority".

In the meantime, municipal workers are marking critical points and assisting residents. The mayor is monitoring the situation, while the Guardia Civil maintain an intermittent presence. The municipal authorities hope that, with the expected improvement in weather conditions, normality can be restored in the next few hours.