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Thousands of homes in the Region of Murcia without drinking water after Dana Alice
Around 100,000 people have been told the tap water in their homes is undrinkable following the floods at the weekend
Dana Alice has left more than flooded roads for residents of Campo de Cartagena and further afield after tearing through the Region of Murcia over the weekend. The intense rainfall on Friday night generated floods that caused serious damage to infrastructure managed by the Taibilla Canals Association (MCT), forcing the public body to declare the water it supplies to several municipalities unfit for human consumption late on Saturday.
The drinking water ban is affecting more than 100,000 people.
The water supply network was badly compromised after rainwater infiltrated it, as the massive volume of run-off that swept through the northern part of the Region ended up damaging the infrastructure. The intrusion caused a loss of quality in the water supplying these municipalities so until further notice, residents shouldn't drink it or cook with it.
Taibilla detected problems with several indicators, although they clarified that the impact isn't serious and plans were already in place on Sunday to empty and clean the supply tanks in each town.
So as a health protection measure, drinking tap water is not recommended in San Pedro del Pinatar, San Javier and Los Alcázares, as well as in several districts and hamlets in the municipality of Torre Pacheco. This includes El Jimenado, Roldán, Balsicas, Dolores de Pacheco, San Cayetano, Santa Rosalía, Las Cantandas, Las Barrientas, La Almazara and Agrodolores.
Los Alcázares Town Council let residents know on Sunday morning that some supermarkets and food establishments would be open from 9am to 3pm, with many staying open until 10pm, to allow people to buy bottled water. Hospitality establishments were asked to remain open on the October 12 holiday if possible to serve customers. A water tank has been installed in front of the Council headquarters and another in Miguel de Cervantes Square in Los Narejos.
Torre Pacheco Town Council has set up drinking water supply tanks in the church squares of Roldán and El Jimenado, and in front of the community centres of Roldán, Dolores de Pacheco and San Cayetano.
San Javier Town Council has also got supply points up and running in the Courts car park, on the Centramirsa esplanade in El Mirador, in the Santiago de la Ribera market area, in the Roda civic centre and next to Peke Park in La Manga del Mar Menor, which has been able to connect its supply to Cartagena, although these municipalities haven't been affected.
Community technicians took samples throughout Saturday, but it wasn't until the last minute that the results showed the water supply had been affected by the flood. Taibilla reported that "health authorities recommend that the population not consume water directly from the tap. Nor should it be used for cooking, personal hygiene, or food preparation. Bottled water should be used for all of the above."
The use of tap water should be limited to activities such as general cleaning, "which in no case should involve surfaces that will subsequently come into contact with any type of food."
Technicians from the Taibilla Canal Association, supported by municipal water supply companies such as Hidrogea, "are working to reverse this situation as quickly as possible."
Image: Ayuntamiento de Torre Pacheco
