Hikers in Malaga discover rubble dump at Guadalhorce river mouth

Hikers walking near the mouth of the Guadalhorce river in Malaga discovered a large pile of rubble just metres from the riverbed, in the area around Sacaba.

The pile of broken bricks and tiles, among other materials, is so big that, according to these witnesses, it could create a dam blocking the waterway and causing flooding in the area if not removed before the next rainy season.

After receiving the report, SUR informed the Andalusian regional government, which manages the site. Here comes the jurisdictional dispute that is typical in these cases.

The provincial delegation of sustainability and the environment stated that its technicians had already located the source of the dump. Its location, however, requires investigating whether the responsibility for its removal lies with the public water domain management (delegation of agriculture) or with the city council.

The Andalimpia NGO association organises frequent cleanups in natural environments like the Guadalhorce river to remove litter. According to member Francis Cervantes, the current situation has several causes, starting with the fact that there are people "with few scruples" who are capable of dumping debris "everywhere".

He cited hotspots such as the aforementioned river mouth, near the animal shelter in La Virreina; in Guadalmar; and in the neighbourhoods of the city, next to the bins, "where construction bags are constantly dropped".

"There's a serious lack of civic responsibility. Years go by and there's no way to solve these problems except with increased enforcement and hefty fines for those who dump furniture and rubble. There's no other solution," Cervantes said.

He recalled an initiative of the city council that explored using QR codes on bags in order to identify the owners and ensure proper disposal. "But nothing more has been heard of that initiative and it would be a good way to control potential illegal dumping," Cervantes stated.

Another issue is the lack of surveillance at those hotspots. "In the Guadalhorce and Guadalmar areas, there are frequent illegal dumping incidents. If the police catch them, they issue fines, but it's difficult because we need more surveillance," Cervantes said.

There's also a third reason. According to Cervantes, dropping off waste at recycling centres is free up to a certain amount, while larger quantities require payment. "The city council should be a bit more lenient to see if this prevents illegal dumping incidents."

In fact, Cervantes mentioned that the area around the La Palma recycling centre is "a huge rubbish dump".

Besides the "terrible sight", these pollutants often take years to disappear. "The city council is going forward with its plaza-bridge project, but it doesn't clean or control anything in the Guadalmedina river, where there's a lot of filth and continuous dumping of sewage and wipes that go directly into the riverbed," Cervantes stated.

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