The neighborhood platform Málaga Ha Vesos organized a peculiar protest yesterday at the corner of Isaac Peral avenue and Torres Quevedo street, in the La Luz neighborhood. Armed with buckets of water, brooms, and bleach, residents staged a street cleaning, an action repeated one more summer to denounce the lack of maintenance in the neighborhoods.
Miguel Jiménez, spokesperson for the collective, stated that the situation is similar to last year. He recalled how neighborhood mobilization, with similar actions in areas like Miraflores de los Ángeles, Dos Hermanas, Las Delicias, or Victoria Eugenia, and symbolic protests such as throwing trash bags in front of the City Hall, prompted the council to make a special effort and hire reinforcement staff, which was noticeable in late June and early July.
Jiménez explained that the protest was initially planned for Larita square, but the City Council, upon learning of the mobilization, cleaned the area. However, about 80 to 100 meters away, the dirt persisted, he described. The spokesperson urged the City Council to maintain the same level of effort so that the neighborhoods are "minimally dignified" with the arrival of the Fair, and advocated for the return of "large water trucks" for street washing, considering investments in "hydro and mini hydro" insufficient.
Furthermore, Jiménez called on the mayor, Francisco de la Torre, to implement a tourist tax in Malaga, similar to those existing in Europe and for which the Junta de Andalucía has competencies. The aim would be for these funds to revert to greater cleanliness in the neighborhoods.
“"All neighborhoods are equally dirty, there are no better ones than others."
Other participating residents shared similar criticisms. Mónica stated that "all neighborhoods are equally dirty." Carmen pointed out that La Luz is one of the most densely populated neighborhoods, and the cleanliness is not reflected. Francisco added that only the main areas are cleaned, and only during intense rains does the water "do you a favor."
