The Spanish government has earmarked a support amount of 20 million euros for 8 municipalities around the Mar Menor. Moreover, this amount is intended to improve the sewerage and wastewater treatment in order to reduce the load on the Mar Menor.
Minister Teresa Ribera of Ecological Transition (Miteco) spoke about the situation of the Mar Menor, which has been suffering for years from the discharge of waste water. That is why she believes it is important for government services to work together making decisions to restore the environment.
20 million euros divided over eight municipalities around Mar Menor
Subsequently, the Royal Decree was approved by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday. Furthermore, it states how the aid will be shared among various municipal authorities. This is based on how many people live in the municipality in question. Therefore, it will be distributed to the municipalities as follows;
- San Javier and Los Alcázares will receive €3,750,000
- €3,500,000 will go to the municipalities of Cartagena and San Pedro del Pinatar respectively
- €1,500,000 will go to the municipalities of Fuente Álamo, Murcia and Torre Pacheco.
- The municipal council of La Unión will receive €1,000,000
Money is being put into improving sewerage and wastewater treatment
About 180,000 people live in these eight municipalities and in the summer months there are often twice as many tourists. All residents, some more than others, have problems with the day-to-day management of sanitation facilities, especially during heavy rain.
The Spanish government’s support will be spent on improving, constructing or repairing sewerage and improving sewage treatment in remote areas. All this should reduce the discharge of waste water into the Mar Menor as much as possible so that the ecosystem can recover.
Mar Menor forms Miteco’s largest recovery program
At the end of 2021, the Ministry of Ecological Transition announced a support package for the recovery of the Mar Menor. A budget of almost €400 million was announced between 2021 and 2026. Moreover, this investment of 20 million euros forms part of this. So far, the restoration of the Mar Menor ecosystem and the areas around it is the largest program of actions and investments of this Ministry for the restoration of a specific natural enclave.
Also read: Mar Menor records highest water temperatures ever
