White village but murky waters: bottled water is delivered to Gaucin residents post-floods

Two weeks on from the Dana weather event and flash flooding in this picturesque village in the Serranía de Ronda, the mains water is still turbid and unfit for consumption due to sediment being washed into the main well and the authorities need to rule out the presence of any pathogens

Vanessa Melgar

Friday, 29 November 2024, 18:04

Two weeks after the Dana storm, whose tail-end hit the Serranía de Ronda having already caused considerable damage in the rest of the province, the most affected municipalities in this westernmost part of Malaga, such as Jimera de Líbar and Cortes de la Frontera, are still recovering. In Gaucín, this weather episode has left residents with mains water that is unfit for human consumption - a water crisis of a different kind from the ongoing drought. The local town hall is distributing bottled water to help alleviate the situation.

According to mayor Pedro Godino there has been a turbidity problem since the Dana storms struck the area. "The turbidity level is above the limit allowed by the health authorities for human consumption. We are distributing water for drinking and cooking," stated the mayor, while also pointing out that the water tanks that supply the village are also being cleaned and disinfected.

Godino called for calm and explained that daily analyses are being conducted and that "complete bacteriological analyses have been carried out and there is no infection or pathogens in the water." He stressed, "The water, to the naked eye, is practically transparent, but it still lacks something to be good." So, the tap water can be used for, for example, cleaning or personal hygiene tasks. "It is sediment that has been washed into the main well by the storm and has not yet settled to the bottom."

Gaucín's mayor is confident that this situation will be resolved as soon as possible and that mains water in the village can be consumed again. Bottled water collection points have been set up in Plaza Santo Niño and Portichuelo for those residents who wish to collect it. In addition, Civil Protection volunteers are helping to take it to the homes of residents with mobility problems.

Finally, it should be noted that other villages in the region, such as Benaoján, also advised against drinking the tap water after the Dana because of its turbidity. In the latter case this prohibition was eventually short-lived after the water was analysed and cleared for drinking by the authorities. Montejaque also went through a similar situation.

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