Can Los Alcazares survive?

Peter,

Los Alcázares - yet it will survive and prosper.

People, nature and economies are all quite resilient.

I know numbers of many restaurants, cafes and bars which have been in fact busier than usual. This is because of the numbers of workers involved in the cleanup and the numbers of Madrid/Murcia/UK property owners coming out of season to clean up their properties.

There will be a significant cash injection from the insurance companies into the whole community this winter. 

For instance- it is an excellent time to be a motor car dealer as the payouts for right offs have already started to flow. 

And the restoration of countless thousands of houses will provide a great deal of work/employment and sales.

On the beaches, there is much work to be done, in cleaning up both the soil itself and objects washed into the silted waters. next summer, the agricultural fertilisers washed into the Mar Menor will pose a risk of algal bloom, we know that.

Obviously, the Council is waiting for the promised National and Regional funds to appear to allow this work to start and this is essential as you have said. The Council has done a remarkable job so far and they will no doubt have most of the work completed by Semana Santa. 

However, one element of your analysis that needs a little balance is the matter of pollution. 

Your comments on swimming. It appears that you are assuming that sewerage contamination of seawater is somehow permanent, which is not the case.

The various human and animal faecal bacteria are not normally present in the marine environment.

Sunlight and seawater are not their friends, and the die-off of these bacteria is quite rapid.

Here is a reference link, yes its a detailed scientific study, but you will get the picture.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mladen_Solic/publication/261070965_Effect_of_solar_radiation_and_temperature_on_survival_of_faecal_coliforms_in_seawater/links/552fdd960cf20ea0a06f4cfd/Effect-of-solar-radiation-and-temperature-on-survival-of-faecal-coliforms-in-seawater.pdf

In summary, by mid-winter, it would seem highly likely that faecal contamination from the September 2019 Gota Fria will be long gone. 

And the beaches will be back at their sunny best and the bars and restaurants will be as welcoming as ever.

I like some of your optimism but think a lot of it is misplaced. The Mar Menor will not be invitingly clear for years IMHO, and farmers will just carry on doing what is best for their business.

There are knock on effects from the beaches being largely out of use, in that almost no one is walking down all the way from the 525, so the casual trade is not passing far. Tourists want shops with interesting items to buy, not a stream of estate agents and car hire offices, and the annoying street traders do little for the economy and undermine the proper businesses with premises and staff.

Security is a big concern, and certainly makes me and other family members reluctant to be out at night. I went to the cash machine the other evening, and was very unsettled by the total lack of police, around the time when there had been incidents on the previous week's on a Friday. There was a young man hovering near the ATM - just taking in the evening air, or looking for a suitable person to rob?

Peter,

Two subjects - security and tourism

Security, I have lived in cities large and small all around the world. There is no-where in the world that I would of choice go to a street side ATM at night. Why do that?  It might take a little planning but 8am to 6pm makes sense does it not? 

Handbags dont make a lot of sense either.  An invitation to get robbed, these days, anywhere in the world. This is not a Los Alcázares problem, this is a world problem. 

Just talked to a very fit  and tall 25 year old British lad, who commented going to ATMs late at night, anywhere is just not clever. So if you are of senior years and think you might be a target, I guess that makes it even less clever.

If you think its a problem here, consider the situation in Madrid, London, Paris or Marseille, where fast moving e-scooters make  bag snatching easy and getaways even easier.  Sorry ladies, you need to stop carrying your valuables in an easy to grab package, anywhere in the world. This is not just a LA problem!!. 

Tourism - I am sitting overlooking Playa Espejo, the beach is devastated, but there is a steady flow of people on the Promenade.

The plus about the floods and the  ilegally irrigated farm lands, which is plainly a regional management failure is that its been a big enough problem that it cannot be ignored, the crowd of protestors in Cartagena showed that.

Eco system will bounce back quite quickly with reduced inputs.  Much better to add your shoulder to that wheel, rather than spend energy predicting the end of the world or LA.

Peter you are right about the airport san javier was an amazing airport .If its not broke leave it alone .As for the floods it wont take long to get back to normal .And as for crime have you been to london recently robberies happen every where .I belive the spanish police dont mess about if they catch you doing bad things 

I was really shocked to read that being mugged is in any way the fault of the victim! One of the biggest plus points about Spain has always been that it was a safe place to be in - Barcelona excepted!

A police presence would deter the scores, and an undercover police presence might catch them!

No need for that Daniel, Peter makes a articulate and fair point. Crime in the area is not an issue, it's minor (unless you are on the receiving end).  The biggest concern is the quality of the water.  I am definitely considering relocating (holiday home) further north.  Though the water quality it isn't the only issue, it is the driving force. 

You're right. No need. Just sick of people whining about the area. I think it is beautiful and will survive. I love it here despite the challenges. 

You too make a point. It could be a self fulfilling prophecy if we keep being negative about the area.  I really hope it survives. I love nothing more than sitting on the promenade with a coffee in Santiago or LA.  SOS Mar Menor!

As someone said earlier, mugging goes on everywhere. While I'm very sorry for those affected, it's minimal by comparison. People just need to be sensible.

As for the LA area, of course it will survive. I've had my holiday home in Los Narejos for 4 years and there are more restaurants and bars open now then when I bought. I had some friends out last week for their first trip and they loved it. They have already booked for next year.

The beaches will be put back together in time for next summer and we move on. I guess for some, their cup us more often half empty rather than half full.