Doñana defends itself against water pollution

Dangers at Coto Doñana, by WWF
(Click on image to enlarge)

ALMONTE (Huelva) Two new water purification plants were opened recently in Europe's largest nature park, Coto Doñana. The objective is to protect the wetlands from nearby agricultural pollution, to be achieved by treating the myriad streams that run through the area and removing the harmful effects of contaminant nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous, which can impact the fauna and flora of places that are extremely sensitive, containing unparalleled riches in protected species. There are other other such purification plants in the area that have been in operation for a number of years, though these two are about six years behind their original schedule. Population in the area has also grown substantially over this time, to some 56,000 in the municipalities of Almonte, Rociana and Bollullos. These three were denounced by WWF, which said that they generate some five million litres of sewage each day, containing contaminants that multiply by eight the levels that are supposedly allowed by regulation. Much of the delay is owed to the Junta's non-payment for a substantial proportion of the costs.

Sewage dumped out to sea - again

(Photo: europasur.es)

Pollution has been going on for years

LA LÍNEA The sewage outlet on the Poniente beach (the Western one) has once again seen to be dumping sewage into the sea. The matter was raised by local residents, who complained about an 'unendurable' smell. They also pointed out that this offered a very bad image as the promenade area is the major access to the town. This is nothing new, of course, as La Línea's sewage system is notoriously deficient and has been for years, with spillages not only at the Poniente beach, but also at Levante and El Burgo, all of which have outlets. The beaches are frequently closed in the summer, although they are usually blocked up to avoid the problem during the high season.

Local beaches get six black flags and three 'black spots'

Los Lances (Tarifa): Idyllic?

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR The approach (the arrival, more likely) of summer brings out the factions that award flags to beaches: blue flags, good, black flags, bad. It's the pressure group Ecologistas en Acción that award the black ones, of course, as well as 'black spots'. They announced their 'awards' on Tuesday, but there were few surprises as they are almost the same as last year's list, which also means that no action was taken by the authorities. The black flags go to the beaches at Atlanterra and Los Lances in Tarifa; the Isla Verde area in Algeciras; the coastline running from Palmones to Guadarranque (Los Barrios and San Roque respectively); and the beach at La Atunara in La Línea. Plus, the whole of the Bay of Algeciras gets a black flag, too. The reasons behind these choices lie as usual in the release of raw sewage into the sea, and the result of bunkering that causes oil slicks. The 'black spots', i.e. dangerous waters, are designated at Paloma Baja and Los Alemanes beaches in Tarifa, and the Algeciras Port front. (See Five blue flags for Campo beaches this year)

Sewage leaks and pollution are common all year round

(Photo: europasur.es)

LA LÍNEA (Agencies) The town's problems with sewage are getting worse rapidly. Although sewage being spilled out onto the beaches are often stopped-up in the summer (i.e. beach time), it is none the less a common occurrence the rest of the year. And it is not only at the beaches. Leakages all over town are reported by residents all the time. The problem is an old system dating back to the 1930s that has very rarely been properly maintained or updated. Two beaches, El Burgo and El Carmen, were closed to bathing recently, though it is expected that they will be reopened this week.

Algeciras coastline severly impacted by Gibraltar fuel tank fires

Getares Beach yesterday

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) The fire that destroyed two fuel residue tanks in Gibraltar and was finally extinguished at 5am yesterday morning has had a severe impact on the beginning of the summer beach season in  Algeciras. The residue turned up at dawn yesterday, a black line sighted from the air creping away from the sullage plant area and blown by the wind towards Punta de San García. During the day, the beaches at Getares, El Rinconcillo and La Concha, in the Straits Nature Park, were also affected, to the point that the Junta de Andalucía has activated its Plan de Emergencia por Contaminación del Litoral Andaluz (PECLA, Coastal Emergency Plan). By 5pm the fuel oil had covered 300m of sand at Getares, and other signs appeared at La Linea and San Roque. Cleanup operators are at work since early this morning all along the coastline, and a series of watch points are also in operation, in an attempt to curb further damage to the local environment. Particular attention is being paid at the mouth of Palmones River, the seaward entrance to the protected area there. Meanwhile, Gibraltar is still investigating the causes of the fires, and environmentalists are alarmed at the possibility of damage to the very delicate Straits Nature Park. On the Rock,>

Remember 'Something smells bad in the Campo de Gibraltar'?

On May 3rd we published Something smells bad about a national TV report on pollution in the Campo that was to go on air that night. On May 5th, we published Something smells very, very rotten in the Campo de Gibraltar, saying that the broadcast had been cancelled at the last minute and replaced. Well, it was finally aired last night (See it here). The programme, called Repor and originally cancelled as 'incomplete' after a phone call from CEPSA, owners of the refinery, comes up with a lot of information. Interviewed are not only representatives of the Junta, the Mayor of La Línea, a scientist specialising in air pollution, a local gynecologist of long standing and environmentalists in Gibraltar itself, among others, but also, significantly, a representative of a curious pressure group>

Something smells very, very rotten in the Campo de Gibraltar

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR
The programme on air pollution in the Campo de Gibraltar that we announced on Monday (two items down) was supposed to be broadcast on Monday was substituted by an old one after the state-owned television station received a phone call from CEPSA, the company that owns the refinery that is considered to be the main pollutant (photo). A report on periodismohumano, an 'alternative media', gives the full story, which we have translated/summarized below. There is definitely something very smelly goping on. See for yourself:>

'Something smells bad'

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR

(Original source: TioJimeno) At 25 past midnight, tonight, the RTVE programme, REPOR, is showing a report titled Algo Huele Mal (Something Smells Bad) about pollution in the Campo de Gibraltar and its impact on residents' health. Average life expectancy is twenty years less than the average for other parts of Spain, and the possibility of contracting cancer is 50% above the average. Los Barrios, Algeciras and San Roque have the highest impact. Our air contains a large number of contaminants that, on their own, are aggressive and unhelthy; but even more dangerous is the sinergy between them - that is, breathing a mixture of these contaminants. Members of the Plataforma de Ciudadanos Rodeados por las Fábricas (Citizens Surrounded by Factories), accompanied reporters from the programme through Los Barrios>

EU Parliament debates new epidemiological study for Campo

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR

The European Parliament is today debating the need for a new, integrated epidemiological study for the Campo de Gibraltar that would include Gibraltar. The matter is a response to a petition from the environmental group Verdemar-Ecologistas en Acción signed in 2007 by 13,000 residents of the area. The main reason raised by the environmentalists at the time was the residents' health concerns, as several studies show that the Campo has above average cancer and mortality rate, which they say is owed to pollution from local industries. For her part, the Junta's Health Councillor, María Jesús Montero, said earlier today>