Agenda21: On water, bridges, too many tourists, and recycling
Chris Jones
Note: The following day, the cyclists finish the 3 week race with 193 km around the Marina Baixa and Marina Alta, finishing on top of Aitana, so this may disrupt people who are hoping to go inland on Saturday. Each day, the last two or three of hours is on Eurosport and TDP from 3.00pm, so Xàbia and our area will be getting good TV coverage. Full coverage and clips are also available on the RTVE website: http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/vuelta-ciclista-a-espana
New river bridges near the Port
September 2nd
Xàbioa Town Hall is to request funding from the Diputación de Alicante to assist with the renovation of the Triana bridge,which crosses the Gorgos river mouth next to the Port, budgeted at 567,382 euros with the provincial grant of some 312,060 euros amounting to 55% of the total. The project would involve the demolition of the existing bridge which suffered structural damage during the floods of 2007 and has been closed to heavy traffic including local buses for the past few years. A new wider bridge would be built, expanding its width from 12 to 15 metres. The second project would be the construction of a new bridge at the end of Calle Génova, some 200 metres upstream from the Triana bridge, that would provide a parallel alternative route to the Arenal zone to alleviate congestion during the high season along the Muntanyar I coastal road. For full story see: Javeamigos
Amjasa acknowledges that it does not have water for all…
August 30th
In a statement on its facebook page, Amjasa acknowledged difficulties due to the high demand for water in the second half of August and recognized that "supply is guaranteed in most of the network but there are some mismatches in supply due to the difficult terrain and the difficulty due to high water consumption to restore the flow after breakdowns. Water cuts were reported in Cap martí, Tosalet, Nova Xàbia, Montgo area. They acknowledged that the supply from Pedreguer was depleted and that the desalination plant was working flat out. They noted that the daily water consumption was higher than in previous seasons (Ed´s note: and this after optimistic comments made earlier in the month .. see below) From: XAD
How to deal with too many tourists ?
August 30th
Last week's plenary council meeting was filled with concerns about how to deal with the many problems which arose this summer as a result of the particularly large number of tourists. Xàbia Democrática proposed creating a brigade of unemployed people to clean roads and beaches, to install fixed buoys so as to protect the Posodonia grass beds; to install illuminated panels above Granadella to inform people of the availability of parking spaces and offer a minibus service to shuttle people to coves with parking problems. The Mayor plans to call a meeting of the Tourism consultative committee to discuss the issues and what can be done about them. He noted that Xàbia receives a subsidy of only €40,000 because it is a tourist town. From: La Marina Plaza
Tenders open for contract to complete Avda Lepanto improvements
August 30th
The Bolétin Oficial de la Provincia has published a new tender for public works promoted by Xàbia Town Hall which is for phase II of the renovation and expansion of pavements on Avenida Jaume I in the port area of town, a project that comes with an estimated budget of 205,233 euros including VAT and an estimated implementation period of five months. For full story see:Javeamigos
First steps to regulate access to the Cova Tallada and curb mass tourism
August 28th
The Department of Housing, Public Works and regionals structuring has decided to launch a series of measures to try to bring some order in the chaos of the crowds that the Cova Tallada suffers daily during the summer. The coastal cave is in the municipality of Xàbia but easiest access is by land from Dénia. This summer over-saturation occurs in both visits by land and sea, and measures also will be taken in both cases. By sea, the cave will be marked with bouys to separate kayaks from swimmers while leaving a clear a channel for easy access by emergency boats. By land they will sign the routes (which are currently unofficial) with information panels highlighting the dangers of the path, minimum age and need for proper footwear. They also plan to regulate the volume of guided visits. From: La Marina Plaza
Denia to promote citizen participation in the Autumn
August 28th
The residents of the capital of the Marina Alta will be able to participate and express their views on the future development of the city. In September Dénia plans to start participatory workshops on aspects of development such as the General Plan and Strategy for Sustainable Integrated Urban Development (Edusi). In September and October there will be dual purpose participatory workshops, a) develop a shared diagnosis of the city, identifying the main challenges and b) defining the lines of action and proposals to bel be included in the final project. from Las Provincias
Xàbia town hall spends €2.5 million on works and services
28th August
Some 2.5 million euros has been invested in improvements works during the first year of the current legislature, according to figures released by the Ayuntamiento de Xàbia this week. The money has funded various works of redevelopment such as resurfacing of roads, conservation work, renovation of lights, cleaning of plots and ravines, maintenance of schools and the renovation of pavements. Mayor José Chulvi explained that since 2011 the council has prioritised investments that improve the daily life of residents and that are economically sustainable and generate jobs in the town. For full story see: Javeamigos
Only 10% of the Denia/Jávea/Benitatxell coastline is undeveloped
23 August
Of the 40 km of coastline between Denia, Jávea nd Benitatxell, only 4km, i.e. 10% is virgin. This according to a report by the Sustainability Observatory entitled "Changes in Land use of the coast in Spain" (CAMBIOS DE OCUPACIÓN EN LA COSTA EN ESPAÑA 1987-2011 The study from Corine Land Cover data reported that the 14 years of real estate boom had almost doubled the built-up surface area and 60% of the Valencian coastline is artificial. A disturbing development is the renewed building of luxury hones along the seafront, e.g. in Denia, Javea, Moraira and Calpe, Given this situation, the report's authors propose alternatives for the future: creating land reserves involving stopping creating artificial coastlines, rewards for municipalities which keep un-spoilt coastal areas and the restoration of coastal ecosystems to what they were before the construction boom through forested areas, wetlands, traditional farming systems and dune ridges. From: La Marina Plaza
Nine out of ten Spaniards like to spend their holidays in Spain
18th August
Ninety percent of Spaniards prefer to stay local during the summer holidays. Half of those interviewed, irrespective of their age, said that the beach was their favorite destination. A third of Spaniards also rated discovering new cities and sampling the cuisine during the summer months. Technological gadgets are now a priority with more than half those questioned saying they would have to take their cell phone, 15%, their computer or iPad and only a third saying they wouldn’t use social networks while on holiday. Almost half of those interviewed (43%), said beer was their favorite drink in summer. In general, tourism is responsible for 20% of beer consumption in Spain – the fourth biggest beer producer in the EU and leader in no alcohol beer. As much as 54% of the beer consumed in the country is sold in bars, with Spaniards knocking back almost 50 liters per head annually. For full story see: El Pais in English
Amjasa achieves a reduction in water consumption this summer
17th August
The peak date for water consumption in Xàbia was August 4th, with 32,317 cubic meters of water being injected into the system sourced from the desalination plant (about 27,100 m3), and water bought from Pedreguer irrigators. This represents a fall on last year's peak figure, 34,958 m3, despite there being more tourists and the fall has been ascribed largely to the reduction in water pressure in the Port, Muntanyar and Arenal. Consumption varies hugely over the municipality. the 900 houses of Tosalet and Cap Martí consume some 4000 m3 per day, the same amount of water as used by 12,000 subscribers in the aforementioned coastal areas. Consumption varies enormously over the year, being only 15,810 m3 on February 7th. from:Levante
Five of seven containers end up in the sea or in landfills
17th August
Every day the Valencian community consumes seven million containers. In theory, these should be recycled but in practice, five of those seven million end in the sea or landfill. The Mediterranean also is a closed sea, with urban pressure and a population density that have created a graveyard of waste. To add to this tourism and containers consumed outside the home, making recycling difficult. 70% of are left on the seabed, 15% on the beach and the other 15% remain floating on the surface. The Ecologists in Action (Ecologistas en Acción, BIOagradable) group is therefore running a series of activities in Valencia to highlight the problem, ending on August 21st with a cleanup campaign. from : Levante
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Cullen Hightower