RONDA INVOKES EMERGENCY PLAN AS FLOODS HIT LA INDIANAAround 100 litres of rain fell on the Serranía on Christmas Eve causing the mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, to invoke the municipal emergency plan to assist residents of the rural zone of La Indiana whose homes had been flooded. The dire situation continued through Christmas Day with local resident María Jiménez declaring “Between the crisis, the dole and the weather, this is the worst Christmas that I have experienced in my life”.
The four major rivers in the area – the Guadiaro, Genal, Guadalevin and Guadalcobacín – all burst their banks and some 30 homes were flooded. Local farmers who had been concerned about the effects of the drought on their crops now found their land underwater. On Christmas Day residents found drowned chickens and horses floating in the fields.
Earlier in the week the lower stretches of the Guadiaro were already in flood with fields under water in San Pablo de Buceite, Jimena, San Martín and Sotogrande since Wednesday as the heavy rains fed in to the river from the streams and off the land in the Serranía.
COMING DOWN
Now that Ronda has taken charge of the former Concepción army barracks in the centre of the town the building is to be demolished. The work will start in January and will cost around 300,000 euros to complete. Once finished the plaza area will be used for parking although eventually the complex will house the town hall, a public square and underground parking.
BAD YEAR
The social welfare department at Ronda town hall has reported an increase in its work due to the financial crisis and heavy unemployment in the town. Its budget has risen from 112,000 euros last year to 160,000 euros in 2009. Nearly 1,000 families gave been registered as needing assistance and the number that are regularly sent food and basic necessity parcels is 153.
LOWER CONSUMPTION
Cortes de la Frontera has come up with a plan introducing energy saving as part of a programme promoted by the Diputación de Málaga. It will see an investment of around 27,000 euros that will improve the economical use of street lighting. Three areas of the municipality – Cortes – Cañada del Real Tesoro – El Colmenar – will be involved in reducing energy and bio-carbon output.
HIGH LOW
The Serranía de Ronda villages of Benadalid and Cartajima show the highs and lows of unemployment in Málaga province. In Benadalid with 149 people able to work 33 are on the dole – 22.15 per cent –the highest level in the province. In contrast Cartajima has just eight unemployed out of 162 workers – 4.94 per cent of the total – the lowest in the province.
IN DANGER
The Partido Popular in Ronda has reported the mayor Antonio Marín to the Agencia de Protección de Datos. The party claims that he has revealed information about a member of their executive from local police files that puts him and his family in danger. Juan Ignacio Vega says the defamatory report in La Gaceta del Lunes edited by the mayor violates his rights.
EXPEL THEM
The Partido Popular called on PSOE at both an Andalucía and national parliament level to expel the mayor of Ronda plus eight former Partido Andalucista councillors who have been declared turncoats by abandoning the PA for the socialists. The PP says PSOE must honour the previsions of the pact it signed with other parties to outlaw politicians who were deemed turncoats by the commission.
