Storm damage being repaired last year. josele

Marbella council may apply early for extra sand for its beaches

Every year the beaches are damaged by storms which wash away the sand and reduce their size and the council wants to ensure they will be in top condition for Easter

Joaquina Dueñas

Marbella

Friday, 25 February 2022, 10:02

Every storm from the east causes damage to the Marbella beaches, washing away sand and greatly reducing their size. For years, the council has been asking for measures to prevent this and at present two projects are being planned to stabilise the beaches, one in Marbella itself and the other in San Pedro although they will not help to resolve the problem this year. The council needs supplies of sand so the beaches are in top condition in time for Easter and the start of the tourist season, but this year it is proposing to make the request early, in February instead of in March.

Councillor Enrique Rodríguez Flores says that no sand has been supplied from elsewhere since 2018, as since that year permission has only been granted to dredge small quantities from Cabopino for use on that particular beach.

“Once again we are calling on the government to take urgent action so the beaches are in as good a condition as possible before Easter,” he says. However, the government’s delegate office in Malaga says it is possible there will be more stormy weather to come and the supplies are allocated depending on the damage caused.

“Some beaches regenerate naturally, so it isn’t always necessary to add extra sand,” says a source there, explaining that the supply of sand is considered an emergency measure and is not included in the annual budget.

The two stabilisation plans which are currently being drawn up will involve the construction of breakwaters at the mouth of the Guadalmina and Guadaiza rivers in San Pedro at a cost of 7.4 million euros, and 200,000 cubic metres of additional sand for the beaches between La Venus and Punta del Ancón in Marbella, where two submerged breakwaters will also be constructed, at a cost of 8.5 million euros.

Both projects are dependent on studies being carried out into their environmental impact, and these normally take some time.

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