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File image of Estepona. SUR
Estepona takes the plunge and announces it will be possible to use all swimming pools this summer
SUR water crisis forum

Estepona takes the plunge and announces it will be possible to use all swimming pools this summer

The town is the first on the Costa del Sol where the mayor has clearly stated that he will authorise the use of treated water to fill private pools this high season

Ignacio Lillo

Málaga

Friday, 19 April 2024, 11:10

"There's no justification whatsoever for some swimming pools to be open while others are not. In Estepona we are clear that all pools will be authorised to stay open", was the forceful response of its mayor, José María García Urbano, when asked about this issue.

The council leader made the announcement during the water crisis forum organised by SUR on Thursday. The mayor also said his team was working on a more eco-friendly solution to ensure that pools with such facilities such as awnings for shade (to minimise water evaporation), water purifiers to recycle pool water etc. will have the category of "sustainable pool" so that, in these periods of drought, they would be guaranteed to remain in use.

Estepona's mayor speaking at SUR's water crisis forum. Salvador Salas

For her part Penélope Gómez, councillor for Environmental Sustainability at Malaga's city council said that, in the case of her city, community pools will in principle be allowed to stay open (although it is still being assessed what is meant by 'community pool') , while for the private ones the decision will be taken with the agreement of the affected residents.

Manuel Cardeña, president of the Mancomunidad de municipios de la Costa del Sol Occidental (an institution formed in 1986 by 11 towns on the Costa del Sol from Estepona to Torremolinos to oversee management of key public services), called for a "joint, consensual and equal treatment" solution.

Cristóbal Ortega, vice-president of Malaga's Diputación (provincial authority), said that the key aspect is the number of litres allowed per person per day (200). "If consumption is controlled and the maximum is not exceeded, using it for the swimming pool or to water the gardens is the least important thing, what is important is to use the resources within the limits".

As for the president of the Association of Property Administrators in the province, Manuel Jiménez Caro, he touched upon an issue of great interest to both locals and tourists. He made the call for "clarity" from the powers-that-be to establish rules "that are coherent and that everyone can understand and accept".

"It is going to be left in the hands of the local councils and that has risks. We don't see the sense in having some measures on one part of the coast and others in another; or that within the same area there are town councils that say that pools can be filled from water tanks shipped in, others allow the use of the mains water supply and then others ban filling altogether. This causes problems and tensions in neighbourhood communities," he explained.

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surinenglish Estepona takes the plunge and announces it will be possible to use all swimming pools this summer