Marbella steps up flood prevention cleaning plan before the rain arrives
The council, working alongside public water company Hidralia, has already cleared more than 21,000 drains in the town
Marbella town hall and the Costa del Sol's public water company Hidralia have stepped up cleaning of drains and waterways in the town as well as its technical planning for possible episodes of rainfall during the autumn.
Councillor Diego López highlighted that so far this year work has been carried out in 21,391 rain catchers of the 27,079 estimated for 2025, which means that it has already been executed almost 80 percent of the total planned, "meeting the deadlines and ensuring the drainage capacity at strategic points of the municipality".
López explained that in addition to preventive cleaning, there are two extraordinary annual cleaning sessions and a specific intervention in the areas around educational centres, paying special attention to the Rafael Fernández-Mayoralas, Vicente Aleixandre and Valdeolletas primary schools. "Work has also been carried out in vulnerable areas such as La Represa, Puente Málaga, Plaza de los Naranjos and the Paseo Marítimo, with reinforcements scheduled for October and November, coinciding with the fall of leaves," he said.
The councillor specified that the entire operation is supported by Hidralia's emergency protocol, which is activated at official warnings and allows to anticipate rainfall events thanks to the digital platform 'Hubgrade by Veolia', which monitors the network in real time and predicts weather up to six hours in advance. The system is divided into four phases: preventive, predictive, active and corrective, according to the councillor.
Hot spots
López added that the town hall has carried out work at vulnerable points in the municipality. "In Avenida José Manuel Vallés, the rainwater network has been rebuilt with new collectors, repairs to collectors and improvements to the collection of runoff," he pointed out. He said that work has also been carried out on the Manuel Haro roundabout, the main access to the town centre from the A-7 motorway, with high-capacity collectors and slope correction, connecting the system to the Arroyo Segundo channel.
Similarly, improvements have been made to the Gabriel Lima and Severo Ochoa roundabout, Avenida Ricardo Soriano with Calle Marqués de Linares, Calle Víctor O'Hayon Tapiero, the junction of Boulevard Príncipe Alfonso de Hohenlohe with Arroyo de las Piedras and Calle Géminis in Nueva Andalucía.
Emergency works
Emergency work has also been carried out to reinforce the safety of riverbeds, with interventions in Río Verde that include cleaning the riverbed, removing waste and correcting obstructive vegetation, and the renaturalisation of the Guadaiza river, which includes the elimination of invasive species, the recovery of native vegetation and the complete cleaning of the riverbed.
In addition, López explained that the town hall has intervened directly in different watercourses in the municipality including Arroyo Segundo, Arroyo de la Víbora, Arroyo Nagüeles, Arroyo de la Cruz, Arroyo del Ángel and the Guadaiza itself, covering a total surface area of 175,000 square metres of direct municipal action.
