Are you aware there is a water shortage in Spain, has anyone bothered to tell you to be careful, and to save water! NO! Why not?

Spain has a serious water shortage, this includes Orihuela Costa and surrounding areas. The water levels in the Torremendo reservoir are at their lowest level ever, 34% approximately, only a third of it’s capacity, the main source that provides water to Orihuela Costa and to all towns and villages within the province of Alicante and south to Cartagena, more than one million people.

Yet, there seems little publicity encouraging people to be more careful with water, a sacred commodity, liquid gold. We must save water, save Orihuela Costa, save our planet!

PIOC wonder why not? Maybe it is because the Orihuela government is based 35km distant, and that their “seaside resort” is the cash cow they believe they can continue to milk, but if there is no water, there will be no life, no tourists, no taxes to pay their wages, it is as simple as that!.

The resolution to this situation could be so simple if new sewage water plants were built to treat the water, but again the Orihuela Government have dragged their heels for years, knowing only too well the serious consequences that a lack of water will bring to Orihuela city and the coastal areas.

When repairs are carried out, they are usually of a temporary nature, so the sewage system is ok short term but it often continues to overflow causing foul smells etc. Moreover the riverbeds have either been blocked to build more houses or they are not maintained, thus preventing the rainwater from flowing naturally to the beaches as nature intended.

The Orihuela government gave approval to build 2228 more properties on Cala Mosca, the last parcel of natural land on the coast, which runs directly alongside the N332, causing long tail backs and resulting in the most polluted stretch of road in Spain.

The Ministry of Transport do not approve of the development on Cala Mosca for this reason, yet, the Orihuela government refuses to accept the decision, which was approved at central government level in Madrid. Why, greed of course!.

Last year the water company stated in the media that if all this development goes ahead the capacity of water will only supply 50% of the population of Orihuela Costa but the Orihuela government are failing to tell the truth.

They need to act quickly, stop the Developers building more houses, repair sewage pipes properly and build a new sewage plant to provide the much needed water for the 85,000 residents of Orihuela, (in addition to the 200,000 additional tourists that visit every year), but sadly, as we know only too well, they will not. It is all about political power and greed, and of course, hanging on to their jobs.

PIOC will address all of these problems, but we need your support to do so. Together we can, one step at a time.

PIOC Press Release