A new commission will monitor Málaga's bathing water after a summer of beach closures

What happened

The Andalusian regional government has set up a monitoring commission for the quality of coastal bathing water in the province of Málaga, following an unprecedented summer of beach closures over contamination. In the city, up to six beaches were closed because of faecal bacteria in the sea water after the sewerage system was forced to overflow during the storm on the first night of the feria. Only 55% of the network separates rainwater from sewage, with a target of 70% and works such as storm tanks.

The inaugural meeting was chaired by the regional government’s delegate in Málaga, Patricia Navarro, with councillors from Málaga, Benalmádena, Torremolinos, Marbella, Mijas and Fuengirola, the territorial delegates for Health and Consumer Affairs, Lucía Yeves, for Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development, Laura Soto, and for Sustainability and the Environment, Gemma del Corral, along with Acosol’s chief executive, Matilde Mancha, and EMASA’s manager, Juan José Denis. The territorial delegations for health, water and sustainability will work with coastal councils to minimise discharges and avoid closing bathing areas, following a standing roadmap to share information, analyse the causes of contamination episodes and speed up preventive measures. The commission plans to meet every two months to set out short, medium and long-term measures and to review current protocols.

What it means for your property in Málaga

If your property is marketed on how close it is to the beach, this is a concrete operational risk rather than a distant environmental story. This summer’s closures arrived suddenly after a storm, and a guest who finds out at the water’s edge tends to put it in the review. The routine that avoids the upset is simple: when a heavy storm passes, check the council’s bathing water status before your guests arrive and message them first, with two or three alternatives nearby.

Do not expect a technical fix in the short term. The commission meets every two months, and separating the networks and building storm tanks are medium and long-term works, so occasional closures will remain possible over the next few summers, particularly in August and September when storms coincide with high occupancy. It is worth having a short message ready in Spanish and English for those days, and not promising a beach experience in your listing that a sudden closure could contradict.

How I handle it in the properties I manage When a nearby beach closes, I message the guest first with alternatives less than twenty minutes away; finding out at the water’s edge is what ends in a three-star review. I keep that note saved in Spanish and English so it goes out the same day as the storm.