Xàbia launches its plan to regenerate Granadella
July 27th
The tender for regenerating Granadella has been opened to receive proposals over the next 26 days. The budget is €250,000 with a grant from the Diputación de Alicante. Tenders will be appraised on the best price, and concrete actions such as the restoration of terraces, improvement of the landscape and cutting and removal of burned trees. This forms part of an overall plan of recuperation involving funding from several different entities. From: La Marina Plaza.
Drought leaves eight Spanish rivers at below 50%
July 27th
A continuing drought across Spain has left eight of the country's 19 rivers used as water supply at less than 50% of their capacity, especially the Segura, Duero and Júcar.
Although not the worst drought Spain has seen this century – this having been in 2012 – certain rivers are running drier than ever. The Segura, which runs through the south of the Alicante province and the Region of Murcia, is the most worrying of all as it is only 23.43% full. And the Júcar, across the province of Valencia, is hurtling towards a state of emergency at 33.59% full, still lower than last year when it was already causing concern after dropping to 34.4% of its capacity. For full story see:ThinkSpain
A fine and five rescues at the Arenal
July 25th
Last Tuesday, the waters of the Arenal beach were particularly dangerous and a red flag was flown. A Dutchman who was bathing with his family, rebelled against the police, who finally decided to impose a fine of 750 euros. It is considered to be a serious offence to intentionally hinder the functions of the public rescue service. In addition, five people who had to be rescued from the water when they became in difficulties because of the currents: there were two young men of 20, a man of 45, a woman of 60 and a minor of 14. From :La Marina Plaza.
Four cases of illegal fishing in the Sant Antoni Marine Reserve
July 25th
Since the start of the summer season the Maritime Surveillance Service of the Local Police of Denia have found two boats and two French divers fishing illegally in the Marine Reserve of the Cabo de Sant Antoni. They also reported 13 cases of boats travelling too fast in the area (speed limit 3 knots). from: Las Provincias.
Residents protest about Granadella Park and Ride scheme
July 25th
Residents in the Costa Nova area of Xàbia are up in arms after enduring a chaotic weekend thanks to the new park and ride pilot scheme to the Granadella cove which is closed to traffic between 10am and 7pm each day. With the car-park that was created specifically for the purpose quickly filling to capacity, visitors to the area have been parking in the streets, some blocking driveways which has left residents unable to access or leave their own houses and declaring that the situation has become a 'living hell'. The police have been unable to assist with the complaints since many of those who have found their driveways blocked have not been displaying the 'Vado Permanente' signs which would mean that any vehicle doing so can be legally towed away. For full story see: Javeamigos
Xàbia requires landowners to clean agricultural land to prevent fires and pests
July 25th
The Town Council has appealed to agricultural landowner owners to clean up their land to help prevent bush fires, prevent the spread of pests and weeds and create a good image. The department is working on an awareness campaign on this matter, which is regulated by bye laws and that the Local Police will issue information before snactioning those who do not clean up their land. However, in cases where owners do not take action, they will eventually have to be sanctioned. It was pointed out that having a well-kept piece of land may even encourage people to lease it for farming. From: La Marina Plaza
100 buoys, 6000 boats
July 25th
The nautical tourism sector maintains that in order to continue to grow as one of the mainstays of the Marina Alta economy, some things have to be improved. The entrepreneurs argue that the number of anchorage points off the coast of towns such as Denia and Xàbia are inadequate, despite the beauty of the coast being one of the great attractions for users of recreational boats . The director of the port of Denia, Gabriel Martinez, said Monday that "we must work to start a policy of the future with the subject of anchorages. We cannot to have more than 3,000 boats distributed between Denia and Xàbia and only 100 buoys. From: La Marina Plaza.
300 kg of immature fish discovered and seized in Altea
July 19th
The Guardia Civil inspected the fish market in Altea and found 300kg of immature fresh fish hidden in aquaculture containers. 54 unlabelled boxes of mostly whiting, monkfish and octopus were put in cold storage ready to be verified. It is thought these illegal fish were from several vessels attempting to avoid the auction, hoping to later sell them to retailers. Administrative steps are being taken, and the fish will be distributed to different charities in the province. From: Las Provincias.
|
Table of Contents
|
Mercadona invests €52 million on environmental management
July 16th
Mercadona has published its environmental report and presented its environmental management model which includes and investment of €52 million. The main feature of this model is to do more with less to improve environmental performance in three main areas: logistics optimization, energy efficiency and waste management. An example of logistics optimization is its strategy of seeking to increase sourcing quality fresh products locally, shortening the logistics chain leading to a lower environmental impact. Another action is to keep the delivery trucks full when on the move. They are also trying to make their stores more energy efficient. They are also working with suppliers to re-incorporate waste as raw materials for other processes. e.g. the bread supplier (Anitin) now sends its by-products to another supplier Cunicarn, to be used as rabbit feed.
From: Las Provincias
Extra parking in the Port
July 16th
The Department of Services has completed the preparation of a 5,000 square metre plot of municipal land in the Les Mesquides area of Xàbia on the outskirts of the port which will be available as soon as possible for free public parking. Over the past few weeks, the plot has been cleared and levelled to provide an alternative parking zone in time for the summer season when the port area is at its busiest, especially with forthcoming celebrations of the Moors and Christians. The plot is located on the corner of Avenida Lepanto and Carrer Penáguila on the outskirts of the port and just a few hundred metres walk from the seafront. for full story see: Javeamigos
Enjoy the sea without leaving a trace
July 16th
The Department of Tourism has published a new brochure to promote a more respectful attitude to the sea. Entitled 'Disfruta del mar sin dejar huella' - 'Enjoy the sea without leaving a trace' . The brochure reviews both safety measures at sea with a reminder of the respect that must be shown towards bathing areas, distances and speed limits which is necessary to guarantee the tranquility and safety in one of the most frequented stretches of the coastline. It places special emphasis on avoiding anchoring in areas of posidonia seagrass, a species that helps to oxygenate the seabed, as well as in the protected area of Reserva Marina del Cap de Sant Antoni (inside which anchoring is prohibited) as well as motor sports and fishing. Emphasis is also placed on the basic rules for the respect of the environment including the proper disposal of rubbish, refueling in beach areas, illegal fishing and the collection of organisms and archaeological remains. For full story see: Javeamigos For image of the brochure see: Enjoy the sea brochure Eds note: The brochure is in Castillian - I wonder if they intend producing versions in other languages ?)
Granadella access restrictions in force
July 9th
From 10.00am to 7.00pm, July 1st to August 30th, access to Granadella beach by car is restricted to residents and people who work there. Everyone else must park in a municipal green zone near la Guardia and take a free shuttle bus which has a frequency of 20 minutes. For Google map of parking place and bus route see: http://tinyurl.com/y7lqh2ly
Before 10.00am, and after 7.00pm private vehicles can access the cove with parking available in Calle Pic Tort and on the municipal plot of the former Guardia Civil barracks, both of which are located behind the row of houses and just a short walk from the beach area. The dry river bed has been closed in compliance with an order from the Confederación Hidrográfica del Júcar (CHJ) whilst parking Avenida de Tío Catalá itself will be restricted to residents only. Initial response to the new arrangements was mixed, with local restaurants complaining that everyone disappeared at 7.00pm, when the last bus left, affecting their trade. from: La Marina Plaza See also: Javeamigos
Europe's extreme June heat clearly linked to climate change, research shows
July 2nd
Human-caused climate change dramatically increased the likelihood of the extreme heatwave that saw deadly forest fires blazing in Portugal and Spain, new research has shown. Much of western Europe sweltered earlier in June, and the severe heat in England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland was also made significantly more likely by global warming. Such temperatures will become the norm by 2050, the scientists warned, unless action is taken to rapidly cut carbon emissions. Scientists combined temperature records and the latest observations with a series of sophisticated computer models to calculate how much the global rise in greenhouse gases has raised the odds of the soaring temperatures. They found the heatwave that struck Portugal and Spain was 10 times more likely to have occurred due to global warming. For full story see: The Guardian
