The influx of summer visitors quadruples the population of the Mar Menor, and transforms small inconveniences into major dramas.
Last year the sewage systems of La Manga struggled to cope with the flow of waste , and although the breakages which provoked a flood of complaints from residents and holidaymakers were satisfactorily repaired and preventative measures taken to avoid future issues, this year the electrical supply is the latest topic of residents complaints in the La Manga area.
Last Monday the La Manga and Cabo de Palos aresa were plunged into darkness for two hours, on Thursday the lights went out for an hour and on Saturday the only light was from the moon for a period of 45 minutes.
The president of the Cartagena Hostelry Association was quick to condemn the electricity supplier, saying that Iberdrola " didn´t have sufficient capacity to offer a full service to all their clients in the area, as if they had, these breakdowns, which are so damaging to the businesses of the sector, wouldn´t be taking place."
Iberdrola has been subjected to a veritable wave of complaints from not only the hosteliers concerned at the decline in their takings during these periods, but also year-round residents.
The company have today said that they are carrying out a full revision of their supply, but that the last incident was down to a fuse blowing and nothing more.
The other breakdowns, they said, were due to small technical issues in different parts of their transformers and were not down to lack of maintenance or major breakdown.
The company said it was aware that the breakdowns caused an inconvenience for their clients, but assured them that it was working hard to ensure the breakdowns didn´t occur again.
Untidy techno-teenagers subject of other complaints
La Manga is also the focal point for another set of complaints, this time relating to a vast pile of rubbish left behind by partygoers at the Technosys Summer Festival which took place at El Vivero de La Manga over the weekend.
This area is next to the Marchamalo salt flats and ecologists and opposition politicians had attempted to stop the event even taking place, fearful of the damage it could cause to the protected area.
The regional Government finally gave the go-ahead on the conditions that, " once the event has been concluded, all residues generated must be cleaned from the area, along with anything which could effect the protected areas. " The organisers were also charged with " a thorough clean up of the areas which butted up against the salinas."
As the photo, taken by the IU-Verdes, who were quick to issue an "I told you so " press release today clearly showed, one man's version of leaving the area clean and tidy clashed with anothers.
Techno-teenager bedroom syndrome on a vastly amplified scale.
Inage: IU-Verdes
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I don't find this in the least surprising. The amount of refuse dumped illegally in Spain is a national disgrace so the kids are only copying what they see their parents doing. "Monkey see-monkey do"!