Illegal rubbish dump springs up next to Río Grande in Guadalhorce valley, posing a serious health and fire risk

Amidst piles of rubble, broken furniture, pruning waste and bags of rubbish, the riverbed of the river Grande in Cártama these days looks more like a rubbish dump than a natural environment. Close to the A-357 bridge, at kilometre 47, an illegal rubbish dump has grown out of control in recent months, fed by those looking to dispose of their waste quickly and cheaply. What began with a few isolated dumps has become a major problem that threatens the environment and is of serious concern to the local residents.

Víctor Villalobos, a rural warden and environmental technician, told SUR that this is a repeated problem that has already been reported to the Guardia Civil, the environmental delegation and the town hall. "It is a tremendous uncontrolled dumping and the danger is that with a flood or fire the damage would be incalculable. There are dozens of eucalyptus trees around and if someone sets a fire, it becomes an inferno," he said. According to him, the local residents have even been forced to remove part of the debris in order to be able to pass through with tractors and agricultural vehicles, which shows the magnitude of the problem.

The environmental risk is considerable. The accumulation of construction materials and waste of various kinds encourages the seepage of toxic substances into the soil and, in the event of heavy rainfall, their washout into the riverbed. The mouth of the river Grande connects with the Guadalhorce, an area of high ecological value which is home to protected birds. "Water pollution, soil contamination and loss of biodiversity are real threats. We are not talking about a simple landfill, but a focus of risk to public health," added Villalobos.

The rural wardens of the Guadalhorce have called for urgent measures to reverse the situation. These include the immediate removal of the waste and the closure of the area, the installation of surveillance systems to penalise offenders and public awareness campaigns. They also insist that waste collection services must be strengthened to offer legal and safe alternatives to those who currently resort to illegal dumping.

For his part, the mayor of Cártama, Jorge Gallardo, acknowledged the problem but points out that the responsibility does not lie solely with the council. He explained to SUR that just two months ago the town hall carried out a comprehensive clean-up of the area, which cost the municipal coffers more than 8,000 euros. "We have already cleaned it, we have invested in it and we have communicated it to the regional government. From that moment on, it is up to them to monitor it, because we are talking about an area that forms part of the public forests," Gallardo explained.

The mayor said that the council has asked the Junta de Andalucía to act more effectively by installing barriers and reinforcing environmental monitoring. "We can't spend 8,000 euros every two months on cleaning up the same thing. We want them to be aware of the seriousness of the problem and to act effectively," he said. He also confirmed that the possibility of cutting off access to the area has been raised, although this measure could generate neighbourhood unrest.

The Malaga delegation for stainability and the environment also confirmed to SUR that they are working together with Cártama town council to detect the source of this accumulation of rubble and waste and put an end to the problem. However, it pointed out that in this case the responsibility lies with the town council, as it is a matter of urban waste management. According to the Junta de Andalucía regional government, it is up to the town hall to approve licences, require generators to contract authorised collection services, supervise compliance with local regulations and sanction illegal dumping.