Orihuela, Torrevieja, Pilar de la Horadada and Guardamar will all receive aid to repair the damage to the coastline following last December’s torrential rain although whether this is in addition to the investment of 16.5 million euros made nationally by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment in January is unclear.
However on Monday, the Interdepartmental Commission approved, as a matter of urgency, the budgetary allocation under the 2017 Contingency Fund, to carry out the necessary repairs to the beaches most affected by the recent storms.
Specifically, and according to the valuation carried out by the Valencian Tourist Agency (AVT), the estimated amount of damages for all municipalities in the Region of Valencia amounts to 4,330,000 euros.
The regional secretary of Tourism, Francesc Colomer, said that immediately after the storm, AVT technicians quickly identified and assessed the affected beaches and they now want to complete the repair process as soon as possible and then refocus on the recovery of the region as a tourist destination.
Colomer stressed that “now we must persuade the Department of the Costas that the repairs are to be carried out as a matter of urgency so that the beaches are restored to their pristine condition as the season gets underway and not a day later.”
It should be noted that the intensity of the rains caused great damage to the tourist infrastructure of the coast, particularly to the breakdown of the water collection systems for pumping stations or their flooding, loss of footbridges, waste collection areas and receptacles, as well as much of the local infrastructure and sports areas.
This aid is destined for 52 municipalities in the Valencian Community who are responsible for beaches that were affected by the storm. Specifically. In the Vega Baja the money will go to the municipalities of Orihuela, Torrevieja, Pilar de la Horadada and Guardamar del Segura.
The regional secretary of Tourism has emphasized that “the work must get underway as soon as possible so that the beaches are in a position to receive the tourists, both during the Easter and the Summer holiday periods.”
