Malaga villages finally reconnected to mains water over a week after the 'Dana' storm damaged pipes

The villages of El Borge, Almáchar and Cútar in the Axarquía on the eastern side of Malaga province, which have a total of around 3,500 registered inhabitants, were reconnected to the mains water supply on Thursday 21 November after the pipes were damaged when the Benamargosa river burst its banks during the Dana Wednesday 13 November.

Technicians from the area's public water company Axaragua, which is part of the Mancomunidad association of town halls in the Axarquía, have managed to repair the damage to the pipes that run along the river bed from Benamargosa to the north. Residents in Benamargosa were reconnected on Monday.

Now the only village still without drinking water is Comares, with some 1,400 registered inhabitants, and numerous rural areas, which are the areas that have suffered the most damage from the flooding, are now without drinking water supply.

However, it is hoped that the situation will be resolved by the weekend. Three wells in the village have also been damaged. All five villages were receiving water via trucks and only had access to water for a few hours per day. Bottled water was distributed to residents with the help of Civil Protection and the Red Cross.

The spokesperson for the Junta de Andalucía in Malaga, Patricia Navarro, visited Benamargosa, the village most affected by the floods, on Thursday 21 November. Flooding affected around fifty businesses and properties in the lower part of the village. One week on and most of the affected businesses have reopened.

Navarro, who was accompanied by the mayors of the area, spoke of "the diligence and speed in responding to the needs of the population" after the catastrophe, which only left material damage.

Navarro went on to say that between the two Danas that have affected Malaga province in recent weeks, emergency work has been carried out in Benamargosa, Comares, Cútar, Álora, Casarabonela, Valle de Abadaljís, Algarrobo, Cortes de la Frontera and Benalauría. In addition, more than 200 rural roads have been repaired so far.

As for the aid, Navarro has detailed that 80 million have been mobilised for the first Dana and that for the second the Andalusian decree that will regulate it has not yet been published, but that it will be published "in the next few days".

The deadline for the first Dana grants has been extended until next Tuesday. Of the total 80 million, 12 million is earmarked for local councils and 57 million for agriculture and livestock. Of this amount, ten million are for infrastructure repairs, another ten for rural roads and 37 for affected farms.