Summer's almost over, so it's back to the fight

For yet another year, we Malagueños must continue the fight and demand our rightful dues as the fastest-growing region in Spain, alongside Madrid. And once again, we must do it from the ground up, from civil society, writes columnist Ignacio Lillo

Ignacio Lillo

Malaga

Friday, 20 September 2024, 10:59

With the summer over it's time to roll up our sleeves again, adjust our boots and helmets and get back out onto the battlefield. ... The summer ceasefire, two months in which the white flag acts as a shelter to stop us from burning to death on the beach, ends just as soon as the September nights start to draw in.

That being said, back to the harsh reality of this Malaga and its eternal paradox: too far away, both physically and emotionally, from the capital of the kingdom; large, but not large enough for those in power to see it from afar in its true dimension. With many votes in parliament, but which rarely benefit us, instead favouring others who do know how to assert their interests.

For yet another year, we Malagueños must continue the fight and demand our rightful dues as the fastest-growing region in Spain, alongside Madrid. And once again, we must do it from the ground up, from civil society, just as we did with the high-speed train (AVE) and the highways, and as we must with all the major projects that are rightfully ours.

This year, we must push to ensure that the promises extracted from the government before the summer are fulfilled, as they were hard-won. Therefore, the feasibility study must be presented, followed closely by the report, to finally define the model for the coastal train, which should run from Malaga to Estepona in the west, and to Nerja in the east. There is a clear commitment from the ministry of transport and we will remain vigilant to ensure it is fulfilled and not delayed. Malagueños, as well as the millions who choose to become temporary residents each year, have the right to sustainable, affordable, and safe transport, which can only be achieved through the railway.

But we have many more urgent tasks, because Malaga and the Costa del Sol are at risk of territorial collapse. To address this, in addition to mobility, we need water. We cannot continue to depend, at this point in the 21st century, on Mediterranean cycles, which are increasingly erratic and unstable, where drought becomes chronic and the much-needed rainy months seem nowhere in sight. In this case, the solution already exists: seawater desalination. But it is also crucial that not a single drop of treated water is wasted and returned to the sea. Good management is essential not only for tourism but also for hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops, olive groves and subtropical farms, which are the livelihood of the province's inland residents.

October is looming, summer has come to an end, and we continue the fight for Malaga...

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