• Quote: ‘Marchamalo Canal in Murcia polluted with paint used on new €800,000 bicycle lanes’

By Andrew Atkinson

The Marchamalo Canal in Murcia has been polluted by the paint used on bicycle lanes, as it subsequently entered the water.

The blue paint has coloured a stretch of the canal, located in La Manga (km 2 and 3), part of the Mar Menor lagoon connected to the Mediterranean.

Torrential downpours led to the paint used on the recently upgraded cycle lanes running into the canal.

Cartagena City Council employees were notified of the situation and made attempts to stop the paint entering the canal, which had further contaminated the lagoon. It is alleged a similar incident occurred during the summer.

The newly painted cycle lane cost a reported €800,000.

As reported by The Leader the Mar Menor has been headline news worldwide, due to the contamination of the lagoon in recent years.

The Marchamalo Canal in Murcia, polluted with paint in latest incident.

Anoxia poisoning lead to thousands of dead fish being washed ashore this year – a repeat of the disaster of recent times – due to agricultural waste entering the Mar Menor.

Another protest demonstration was held in San Javier on November 10, mirroring public demonstrations that have taken place in recent weeks.

Following the incident a statement from the Department of Development in Cartagena said: “Unexpectedly the rain caused the paint to run and sand was quickly put in place to stop the filtration. Painting was stopped.”

Caption: The Marchamalo Canal in Murcia polluted with paint in latest incident. Photos: NuestroMarMenor.