The City Council invests more than 20 million euros in the renovation of water infrastructures to respond effectively to incidents

The preparation of these infrastructures has prevented flooding or significant incidents during the intense storms of the last few weeks.

Estepona City Council reports that during the last decade have been invested more than 20 million euros in the improvement and renovation of sewerage, supply and rainwater networks in the city. These strategic actions, which have been carried out jointly with the water service concessionaire (Hidralia), have modernized the networks, which has allowed the municipality to respond effectively and without significant incidents to the intense storms and rains in recent weeks.

The Deputy Mayor for Services and External Control, Blas Ruzafa, stressed that Estepona can face complex situations, such as the recent storms, with networks that have been fine-tuned to avoid flooding or worrying incidents.

The mayor explained that in these ten years has been carried out a sustained planning with annual investments that have allowed the execution of many actions such as the channeling of stormwater from the avenue of Los Molinos and Andalusia Avenue to the river of La Cala. Before this action, the rains ended up accumulating in the streets Real, Terraza, Plazoleta Ortíz and other points of the old town. Following the installation of a one-meter diameter rainwater collector, significant improvements have been made in all these areas and in other enclaves on the southern slope of the old town.

The rainwater channeling has also been carried out, as well as the separation of sewage and rainwater networks in Valencia, Zaragoza, Argentina, Córdoba, Terraza, Tajo, Fuente de María Gil, Calvario, San Fernando and Plazoleta Ortíz streets, among many others. In addition to these interventions, the supply and sewerage networks are currently being renewed in the extension of Avenida San Lorenzo, thus meeting the new demands of flow and pressure.

Ruzafa has pointed out that within the modernization plan of the hydraulic facilities of the city has acted in the networks of rainwater and sanitation in the streets Golf and Los Naranjos, La Fresa and in the surroundings of the Local Police Headquarters, as well as in those of the Pernet Avenue or in those that run next to the Diana shopping center, among many other actions.

On the other hand, the municipal responsible has highlighted all the work that has been done to improve sanitation during the works of transformation of the old town. The improvement actions in more than 130 streets have also included works to expand and modernize networks that needed to be adapted to the new needs. Likewise, all the urbanization projects that have been implemented in the outskirts or in areas of the urban area such as Las Mesas or Juan Benítez have also included sanitation works.

Also note that public facilities promoted by the City Council, such as the Fair and Sports Park or the new town hall building, or improvement projects such as the remodeling of the promenade and the future boulevard, include sanitation actions of interest to the city.

“All these works, which go unnoticed in the day to day, have allowed to expand the hydraulic capacity of the network of Estepona, the renovation of collectors, improving drainage systems and optimization of sensitive points before episodes of heavy rains, significantly reducing the risk of flooding and strengthening the resilience of the municipality,” as highlighted Blas Ruzafa.

In this regard, he has indicated that the absence of relevant incidents during the passage of the continuous squalls highlights the importance of anticipating and betting on modern and well-sized infrastructures. In this sense, he considers that “the government team is not only concerned about maintaining and renewing those facilities that we see every day, we also act in what is not on the surface, in what is in the underground, but is essential for the proper functioning of cities.

Finally, he has advanced that the City Council reiterates its commitment to continue promoting investments that allow Estepona to face the effects of climate change and extreme weather events with greater guarantees. Thus, among the next projected actions, highlights the storm tank to be installed in the lower part of the San Lorenzo Avenue, a water collection system that will protect the west side of the old town in case of DANA and heavy rains. In addition, improvement works will be carried out on the sewage pipes in the Fuerzas Armadas neighborhood and its surroundings, with the diversion of water discharging into the San Lorenzo avenue and Real street to the Monterroso river.