Water Stealing on the Costa del Sol
Thursday, June 12th, 2008Water stealing on the Costa del Sol is no small thing and something that goes on much more than is generally realised. In the last post about Feria de los Pueblos I covered the popular fairground attraction in Fuengirola. Now I turn my attention to the problems with water on the Costa del Sol.
Recent surveys have suggested that the Andalucian province with the highest number of wells built illegally as well as individuals who connect their properties to the public water supplies without the necessary permission is Malaga.
Out of the total 513 cases that are being investigated by the Andalucian Water Agency during the first six months of 2008, a staggering 218 are in the Costa del Sol province of Malaga. This is followed by 165 in the province Almeria, another 103 in the province of Granada and just 27 in the province of Cadiz.
A spokesman for the Andalucian Water Agency said that fines range from €600 to €30,000 depending upon the severity of the situation. The average fine for general householders committing this crime is around €6,000.
Water is never in abundant supply in southern Spain especially during the long hot summer, which make these crimes all the more heinous as it has the potential to rob legitimate households of their water during these months.
Picture by G J Allen
