The Government Delegate for Murcia and President of the CHS (Rivers Authority) met with the CRA, Regional Assembly members and Town Hall officials to discuss the current progress being made in the re-routing of the Rambla de los Aznares on sector D, the meeting formed part of a series of visits on the same day by the Delegate and CHS President to areas of flood risk, other meetings were held in Lorca and Los Alcázares

The meeting was held on 22nd August 2018 at the Camposol Club House, those present

Diego Conesa, Government Delegate for Murcia.

Mario Urrea, President of the CHS (Confederación Hidrográfica del Segura – Rivers Authority)

Joaquín López, PSOE’s Secretary General for the Regional Assembly

Alfonso Baños, PSOE Regional Assembly Member

Alicia Jimenez, Mayoress of Mazarrón, Pedro Martinez, Deputy Mayor, Domingo Hernandez, Councillor for Basic Services, Isabel Viviancos, Councillor for Sanitation, Juan Miguel Munoz, Councillor, Domingo Valera, Councillor, Gaspar Lorente, Councillor, Pedro Guillermo, Councillor,

CRA contingent of 5 and Antonio Sanchez, President of Murcia Tranparente.

Alicia Jimenez opened the meeting stating the Town Hall’s proposal of Option 3 for the re-routing of the Rambla de los Aznares had been accepted by the CHS and would be advanced to the project stage when the CHS approved the modifications so the work contract could then be put out to tender, on completion of the works and other amendments Camposol would also be added to the Plan General of Mazarron.

Diego Conesa continued that after the project was drafted the issue of finances would have to be settled and suggested a co-financing arrangement between Mazarrón Council and the Murcia Regional Government, the CHS would not be involved in any funding as it is only responsible for issuing the relevant authorisations.

Mario Urrea added that he was working toward reducing the flood risk to areas in the Segura basin of which the Guadalentín Valley formed part and the Rambla de los Aznares being an important issue which must be resolved.

Silvana Buxton, CRA Chairman, asked why 4 years after the floods in 2014, nothing had been done physically to protect the residents in the flood risk areas of the Urbanisation and why had the modifications still not been passed by the CHS so the process could move forward and also 5 months after the Regional Assembly approved a dedicated Commission to be set up between the CHS, Murcia Government and Mazarrón Council to solve Camposol’s problems it was still not in existence.

There then follow a heated discussion, Mario Urrea confirmed that even though he had only been in post for 22 days he would expedite the approval of the modifications, Alicia Jimenez spoke about funding for the work pointing out that the CHS had already fined Mazarrón Council 4 million euros over this issue so paying the fine and funding the work would be very difficult and agreed that it would be necessary to apply for EU finance, Regional Assembly representative Alfonso Baños said a lot of work had been done by the Assembly to get the issue this far just to be left by the wayside, tempers subsided and assurances were given by all authorities, the CHS would expedite the plans so the Works Project could be drafted, the Council would communicate with the Regional Government regarding co-financing and EU funding and the proposed inter authority commission would be instigated, but still no date for the commencement of work could be given.

All of the above was filmed, photographed and recorded by a plethora of media personnel, with individual interviews being videoed after the meeting.

It should be noted that in in 8 months there will be local and regional elections, the CRA Committee will do its upmost to pressurise the relevant departments and authorities to process the Rambla issue as far as possible before election excuses come into effect.