News
Instant fines
Local police in the city of Málaga are being issued with a tablet or smartphone which can issue fines on the spot , as well as accepting payments . The city is investing € 443,000 on the devices which can also read vehicle number plates and reveal if the vehicle has valid insurance and an ITV certificate . The aim is to reduce the amount of time officers spend on paperwork at the end of a shift .
Service costs
Óscar Medina in Torrox is one of several mayors on the Costa del Sol calling for increased funding from central government to cover the cost of increased services during the summer . They point out that populations grow exponentially which requires extra work on beaches and elsewhere which puts a strain on local resources . Sr Medina says that the population of Torrox increases from 20,000 to 80,000 , making street cleaning one of the town ’ s biggest summer expenses .
Coastal initiative
An initiative aimed at the conservation of ecosystems and marine biodiversity has been launched in Nerja . Working with the Environment Department and the nongovernmental organisation Equilibrio Marina , the town hall plans to promote activities to protect the seabed which will then boost ecotourism as a new source of economic growth and job creation . The project will start with an analysis of the ecosystems along the town ’ s coastline .
Fewer new-borns
The birth rate in the province of Málaga dropped below 1,000 a month in the first six months of 2022 . The National Statistics Institute says that the fall is accelerating and experts suggest that economic uncertainty and the political situation in Ukraine may be the reasons for couples delaying starting a family . Nationally , a very slight increase in the birth rate was recorded , but the data also reveals marked differences between the regions .
Andalucía biggest hospital
The project for the third major hospital in the city of Málaga continues to make progress with the team which won the tender to prepare the preliminary design now invited to draw up and manage the full project .
Architectural studios Carlos Lamela and Aidhos along with engineering consultancies SENER and ARCS were given three months to submit plans for a new car park to be built behind the Hospital Civil , and eight months to deliver the construction plan for the new hospital which will be built close by .
The new facility will have a footprint of 197,00 square metres , plus car parking and loading areas . It is expected to consist of a five-storey building , plus four towers of 12 storeys , and , with 800 beds , 42 operating theatres and 189 outpatient clinics , it will be the largest hospital in Andalucía .
As well as its location immediately next to the Hospital Civil , a footbridge across the Avenida del Arroyo de los Ángeles will provide a pedestrian link to the Hospital Maternal Infantil . The entire project is expected to cost around € 300 million .
Beach showers closed
Three towns on the Axarquía coast turned off water to their beach showers last month because of fears of drought . Vélez- Málaga , Algarrobo and Rincón de la Victoria took the “ unpopular but necessary ” measure after Axaragua - the public company for Water and Sanitation in the Axarquia - urged municipalities to reduce water consumption for human use by 20 per cent .
Alongside the cut in supplies , at least one town has limited the amount of water used for irrigating public parks and gardens . Only the amount necessary to ensure survival of plants was permitted under the new rules .
The reservoir at La Viñuela is the main source of water for most municipalities in the Axarquía and in June the area was classified as being in a state of “ exceptional drought .” The level of water in the reservoir fell to
below 13 per cent of capacity last month , and some farmers in the area are reported to have uprooted and destroyed their crops after being unable to irrigate them for weeks .
Meanwhile , businesses on the beaches where more than 50 showers have run dry have been critical of the measure , believing it would affect them negatively . Some claimed that the absence of the showers was forcing holiday makers to wash in rest rooms after sunbathing and before eating .
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