The Socialist Party of Torrevieja (PSOE) has criticised the Partido Popular (PP) for what it calls years of “inaction and neglect” in addressing the city’s long-standing flooding problems.
Socialist spokesperson Bárbara Soler said the effects of the recent DANA storm could have been mitigated if the council had acted earlier to use regional funding made available in 2021 under the Vega Baja Renhace Plan, launched by the former Ximo Puig government after the catastrophic floods of 2019.
“The Botànic allocated more than one million euros to Torrevieja to carry out works, purchase land or execute projects to improve the rainwater drainage system. But the PP left the money untouched for years, only moving the paperwork when the funding was about to expire,” Soler stated.
She explained that at the most recent plenary session, the council finally approved the initial paperwork to contract the project that includes drainage collectors for Avenida Roentgen. “We are not even talking about the works themselves yet—only the project documentation. These improvements could already be completed if they had been initiated on time,” she said.
Soler reminded residents that the Socialist Party had already warned about this issue in 2023, to which the PP government replied that the regional aid was “insufficient” and claimed the council had already invested more than €8.5 million in drainage infrastructure.
“What they failed to say,” Soler countered, “is that the money didn’t come from the Town Hall but from AGAMED. They cannot expect the Generalitat to pay for works they have ignored for years and that are their clear responsibility.”
The PSOE accuses the local government of having been on the verge of losing €1 million in funding “through pure negligence and lack of management.”
“The most absurd thing,” Soler added, “is that while Torrevieja continues to flood, Mr Dolón invites President Mazón to take photos in the rain—complete with safety vests and smiles—congratulating themselves on a management record that simply doesn’t exist.”
Soler concluded by saying that the city needs effective planning, not publicity:
“Torrevieja needs real solutions, not photo opportunities.”
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