Environmental group reports sewage leak on popular eastern Costa del Sol beach

The Axarquía Nature Research Group (GENA-Ecologistas en Acción) has filed a complaint with Nerja town hall and the regional coastal authority (Costas) regarding the ongoing discharge of untreated sewage in the vicinity of Maro beach, one of the areas of greatest environmental and tourist value on the eastern Costa del Sol.

According to a statement issued by the environmental group, the complaint was filed following reports from beach users regarding foul odours in the vicinity of the area’s well-known Cascada Grande waterfall, situated at the western end of the beach.

Following an on-site inspection, members of the association reportedly confirmed the presence of sewage flowing through the Barranco del Arco ravine until it empties into the sea.

GENA has pointed to the Nerja Villa de Mar campsite in Maro as the main source of the discharge, whose waste water, according to the association, is stored in tanks that are damaged and leaking.

“Malodorous pools originating from these tanks can be seen in the surrounding area,” the group states, claiming that the drainage system is not functioning correctly.

According to GENA, the spill would flow by gravity down the ravine, skirting the eastern edge of Maro until it reached the coast, where it would eventually flow into the sea a short distance from the beach and one of its main tourist attractions.

Furthermore, the environmental organisation warns of other possible sources of discharge in the area, pointing to the lack of waste water treatment at the beach bar on Maro beach. According to their reports, some visitors have detected "suspicious bubbling" near the coast that could be linked to the bar.

The group says that despite the existence of the Nerja wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), which has been operational since October 2020, these facilities are still not connected to the network – something which, in their view, "should not be complicated" given the proximity of the existing facility.

GENA maintains that these discharges could be illegal and contravene current environmental and health regulations and has therefore requested the intervention of the relevant authorities to ensure that the necessary measures are taken and the situation is rectified.

This is not the first time this group has reported such incidents in the area. Back in November 2023, it raised the alarm about faecal waste being dumped in the same Arco ravine, again pointing to the campsite as the source, in a problem which, they maintain, could become a recurring issue.

SUR has attempted, without success so far, to obtain a statement from Nerja town hall, the campsite management and the beach bar in question.

This is not the only complaint regarding the discharge of sewage in the Nerja area. The platform ‘Action for Maro and its Agriculture’ (AMA) has publicly accused Nerja town hall of allowing the discharge of greywater and sewage which, according to AMA, ends up polluting both agricultural land and the sea in the Maro area.

The group specifically points to the existence of a sewage pipe which, it claims, discharges very close to the Maro waterfall, in an area frequented by residents and visitors. AMA considers it “inconceivable” that this problem has not yet been resolved and questions the promotion of Nerja as “a paradise” whilst such situations persist.

The group has also called on the public to report any environmental damage they spot in the Maro area and AMA has said that it will continue to defend the environment against discharges and other actions which, in its view, damage agricultural and coastal areas.