The red flag has been flown since last Tuesday. File image. SALVADOR SALAS

Malaga’s Sacaba beach reopens for bathing after four-day sewage discharge

The Junta’s Ministry of Health has authorised the lifting of the restrictions after receiving the results of the latest tests carried out on the seawater in the area

FRANCISCO JIMENEZ

Monday, 11 July 2022, 17:20

The Sacaba beach in Malaga is once again open to bathing, after it was closed as a preventative measure at noon last Tuesday after the discharge of sewage caused by the rupture of a pipe during some construction work in the area.

The latest analyses of the sea water that the coastal authority has been carrying out since then have yielded parameters suitable for bathing despite the fact that the waste water of some 22,000 residents was being discharged into the seafor four days through an underwater outlet located 300 metres from the coastline

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For three days, sewage has flowed into the sea at Malaga's Sacaba Beach at a rate of 40 litres a second

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As a result of the tests the Junta de Andalucía has authorised the reopening of the stretch of beach between the La Térmica breakwater and the mouth of the Guadalhorce, where the red flag had been flying until now.

As SUR reported, the breakdown was fixed on Friday afternoon, putting an end to four days of sewage discharge. The works were undertaken by the construction company that caused the damage to the sanitation pipeline, during the development works for the new residential area that is being built on the El Pato estate, with the supervision of Emasa technicians. The municipal water company has confirmed that the wastewater pumping system to the Guadalhorce treatment plant is now working properly but the repair will continue to be monitored by technicians, without ruling out another inspection at the end of the bathing season.

Specifically, the damaged section of pipe has been replaced by two fibreglass-reinforced plastic conduit sections, each 60 centimetres in diameter and 6 metres long, together with Arpol-type joints for connecting the pipe to the existing sections. In addition, repair work has been carried out on another sanitation pipe that was alsoaffected by the same incident.

The rupture of the pipe flooded part of the Sacaba Beach residential development last Monday night, affecting numerous vehicles that were parked. At the moment, the owners of these cars are still waiting to know what compensation they will receive from the construction company's insurance.