- EDITIONS: Spanish News Today Murcia Today Alicante Today
Date Published: 19/04/2024
Estepona becomes first Costa del Sol town to allow the filling of swimming pools
Each town council is allowed to set its own rules for filling swimming pools this summer
The Mayor of Estepona, José María García Urbano, has announced this Thursday April 18 that his municipality will allow the filling of private swimming pools this summer, becoming the first town on the Costa del Sol to make such an announcement.
The mayor of Estepona is “very clear” that they are going to allow people with private swimming pools in their villas or homes to fill them up this summer, a decision that the Junta de Andalucía left in the hands of the individual town councils.
Justifying the decision, Mayor García pointed out that 76% of total water consumption comes from agricultural use, 7% to industry, 16% to urban areas and only 1% to swimming pools and green areas. “When you take the measure to cut back on the use of swimming pools and green areas, you have to be clear that at most you will save 1% of total consumption.”
As such, Estepona town hall has found there is “no justification for some pools being open and others not. It is very difficult to understand why some pools are open and others cannot be used”.
He also announced that the town of Estepona is studying the creation of a kind of “ecological pool label” for 2025, which will be awarded to those pools that meet a series of environmental requirements and can obtain this seal to be allowed to remain open at all times, regardless of any periods of drought that may occur.
Rules in other Costa del Sol municipalities
Malaga capital city and the other towns and cities across the Costa del Sol have not yet decided whether they will allow private swimming pools to be filled this summer, though the Junta de Andalucía has decreed that public swimming pools and pools for communities, such as urbanisations and apartment buildings, will be allowed to open.
The president of the Association of Municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol, Manuel Cardeña, has said his organisation supports the adoption of a “joint and consensual” solution, with all towns in the province taking the same view on the issue instead of deciding unilaterally. In this way, he said, they will avoid ‘comparative grievances’ between the municipalities.
The mayor of Estepona commented that the Costa del Sol has been “on the verge of an unprecedented socioeconomic catastrophe” due to the drought. He has expressed his conviction, in any case, that the administrations will adopt the relevant decisions so that neither in 2025 nor in the future will there be a repetition of situations of water stress as has happened so far in 2024, including measures to guarantee the supply of drinking water in the future such as the construction of desalination plants.
staff.inc.and
Loading
Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin and get an email with all the week’s news straight to your inbox
Special offer: Subscribe now for 25% off (36.95 euros for 48 Bulletins)
OR
you can sign up to our FREE weekly roundup!
Read some of our recent bulletins:
25% Discount Special Offer subscription:
36.95€ for 48 Editor’s Weekly News Roundup bulletins!
Please CLICK THE BUTTON to subscribe.
(List price 3 months 12 Bulletins)
Read more stories from around Spain:
Contact Murcia Today: Editorial 000 000 000 /
Office 000 000 000