Pig poo is polluting the river that flows through our beautiful valley!

The River Guadiaro, which burst its banks several times this winter and caused extensive flooding and damage to crops and property, is now presenting high levels of contamination.  According to both Málaga province’s environmental agency and the provincial observatory for sustainability the river currently has dangerous levels of bacteria and sewage, along with ammonia and nitrogen.  It is believed that the pollution comes from the waste discharged by the many pig breeding farms along the course of the river as it passes through the Serranía de Ronda.

Both organisations have issued an alert. The provincial deputy in charge of environmental affairs, Esteban Martín, said the problem was aggravated by the delays in building sewage treatment plants in the Serranía.  Of the 22 municipalities in the region only Ronda, El Burgo, Parauta and Gaucín have these types of installations.

Sewage plants are currently under construction in Cuevas del Becerro and Algatocín, but in the remainder such installations are only at the project stage and none have the complete ‘third stage’ level of waste treatment.

Is this really acceptable as we enter the second decade of the 21st Century?