Rainfall and Infrastructure

Just wondering if the problems encountered with the recent heavy rainfall in certain parts of the Costa Del Sol are due to the drains being incapable of accomodating the volumes of water, or are there maintenance issues here where drains have not been cleared? Is the basic infrastructure at fault or are these conditions very unusual?

It's mainly the infrastructure. The drainage systems are wholly inadequate, due to the fact that they have not been modified and amplified over the years in line with the massive expansion in construction above ground. Basically another symptom of the lack of planning and control in recent years.

In our street, despite it now being against the law as I understand it, both black water (sewage) and rain water flow into the same main drain. When it rains heavy, this pipe is not big enough to take the volume; water backs up, and comes UP through the drains in our garage - and it stinks. The council have said they cannot put in a larger diameter pipe, as this would mean digging deeper, which they cannot do because the railway runs underground at the bottom of our street. Apparently nobody thought of the possibilty that several smaller diameter pipes would do the same job as one big one? As part of the current "remodelling" of the town centre (where's the money coming from??) they have installed some complex looking well & pump system at the bottom of the hill - not yet functioning - to overcome this long standing problem The jury is still out.

At least we don't have a problem with volcanic ash.

We live on a large housing estate on the outskirts of town and we do have (so far) adequate drainage for household sewage and waste water.  However, there is not one drainage point in the road over the whole estate and very heavy rain collects in lakes that see many folks unable to take their cars out for a while.  Speaking to the locals, we were told, 'We don't get enough rain in Spain to have to worry about drainage in the streets'.  Well, maybe you never DID to get that much rain in the past...but you do NOW...and by all accounts, global warming will ensure there's more of the same to come.

We have come to the conclusion (as many have) that any house we buy from now on, whether in the UK or Spain, shouldn't just be situated some distance from a river or stream...it should be situated on higher ground to surrounding properties.  Even if there ARE drains in the street (as we have in the UK) too much water in the drains can cause spill-out and cause flooding just as spill-out from a nearby stream or river.

Oh dear...will we ever find the perfect property?  What would Phil and Kirsty say?  Something about 'Compromise' I guess!

Dear All,

drainage design is based on past events and the likelihood of them being repeated, so if the weather patterns are changing it will be a long time before 1 in 100 year designs catch up.

however the reported 3 months continuous rainfall on cds over winter would be difficult to economically design for, most especially with the reported paltry council taxes you are paying.

best to get yourself a pump in a sump and pump it back outside if your electricity is reliable.

Regards

Norman

Dear all

We were in London at the end of March, staying in Bloomsbury.  One afternoon there was a heavy downpour and the drains couldn´t cope with it.  Road were flooded and John reckoned it was as bad, if not worse, than being in Spain when there is a similar downpour - you would think London could cope it with better though!

Sue