- Public Health has confirmed this Friday to the two councils of the Teulada – Benitatxell Water Consortium that it is now drinkable.
- In the six days of distribution of bottled water, around 12,600 bottles of water and 82,000 litres have been distributed.
At last there is good news for El Poble Nou de Benitatxell and Teulada Moraira. The Direcció General de Salud Pública confirmed this Friday mid-morning that the tap water is once again drinkable and therefore fit for human consumption.
As the report on the lifting of the restriction states, ‘following the reduction of the unfitness values, the obtaining of correct analytical results and, in view of the favourable report issued by the Public Health Centre in Denia, the fitness of the water distributed is confirmed’.
The restrictions communicated by Public Health to Benitatxell Town Council on August 9th, when tap water was declared unfit for consumption due to the salinisation of the aquifers due to the drought, have been lifted.
From that day on, the Council implemented an emergency protocol for the purchase of bottled water. First, on Tuesday 13th, the Board of the Teulada – El Poble Nou de Benitatxell Water Consortium was convened to delegate powers to the councils and provide a budget and, after that, the municipal plenary approved the contracting process for the purchase of bottles.
Thus, in just three days, the first delivery began on Friday August 16. Every Friday (although the first week there was also a delivery on Tuesday), the government team has been giving out two 6.5 litre bottles for each registered resident or subscriber to the drinking water service and 10 bottles for the bars and restaurants. Always, with the great help of Civil Protection and the municipal squad.
In addition, a telephone number was set up so that Civil Protection could take water bottles to elderly people or those with reduced mobility who requested them. Water tanks were also set up for self-supply in various closed, guarded and shaded areas: at the entrance to Santa María Magdalena school on Alicante Avenue, the indoor car parking lot of the sports area and El Puig building (Civil Protection headquarters).
Nearly 82,000 litres delivered
In the six days of delivery until today (counting this Friday only the morning delivery, although in the afternoon it will continue to be delivered until stocks are exhausted) about 12,600 bottles of water have been given out, which adds up to about 82,000 litres. The Council has earmarked 9,400 euros for the purchase of bottled water.
Long-term solutions
At the emergency plenary session held on August 13th, an urgent request was made for the intervention of the Generalitat Valenciana and the Diputación de Alicante to carry out the necessary actions to solve the problem, specifically the immediate implementation of the pipeline project to connect Xàbia and the Teulada-El Poble Nou de Benitatxell Water Consortium via Camí Vell de Teulada. In fact, a few days later, the three municipalities held a meeting with the president of the Diputación.
This project, which has been demanded for many years, was drafted by the public company Proaguas in June 2021 and approved by La Marina Alta Water Consortium in March 2024. However, it lacks the necessary funding to carry it out, which is why the mayor, Miguel Ángel García, insisted on the importance of providing the necessary budget appropriation.
García also stressed the importance of this project for ‘making the region’, as it would not only connect Xàbia with Benitatxell and Teulada, but would also open the doors to connect the supply to other towns in the interior of La Marina Alta.
In addition, at the same time, the Teulada – Benitatxell Water Consortium is going to invest more than 4 million euros in the improvement of water resources. Of particular importance will be the construction of the new Castellons desalination plant and the commissioning of Canor Bessó well and its conduction to this new desalination plant.
