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Residents of Cartagena’s Concepción neighbourhood, near Luis Calandre Street, woke up yesterday morning on September 22, wondering about a less-than-pleasant smell outside. A busted sewage pipe had flooded the bed of the Benipila ravine and was winding its way through the city centre, leaving a rather dark and unwelcome ‘stain’ visible from the Cartagonova bridge and the walkway near the Cartagena Oeste health centre.

 

Of course, this spectacle attracted a fair few curious onlookers peering over the railings, drawn in by what could only be described as an unpleasant mystery. Technicians were dispatched to work out exactly where all this murky water was coming from and what was in it.

 

The Ayuntamiento was alerted around 8.30am by the Central Sanitary and Sewerage Service (CHS) and quickly identified the culprit: a failure in the secondary sewer system that runs along this stretch of the riverbed, which happens to be considered urban territory and thus falls under municipal care, not the Segura River Basin Authority.

 

Municipal sources were reassuring, saying, “The damaged section will be repaired today,” as workers busily pumped out the area, trying to figure whether it was a blockage or a structural failure that caused the spill. They even brought in heavy machinery, including an excavator, just in case they needed to dig deeper - quite literally.

 

Meanwhile, Hidrogea, the water company, confirmed the spillage resulted from a breakdown in the sewage system but insisted it hadn’t caused any damage to nearby streets or homes. “The puddle is being cleaned and repairs are underway,” they said, keen to reassure residents the situation was under control.

 

Interestingly, right by the Efesé stadium, where soccer fans were likely unaware their field’s neighbour was undergoing a bit of sewage drama, Hidrogea and the Ayuntamiento have been working for months on a new pumping station. This has kept parts of the area a construction zone for some time, including the promenade and Luis Calandre Street.

 

So, while Cartagena’s riverbed might have been having a bit of a bad day, the Ayuntamiento and water company were on the case to clean up and fix the problem before things got any smellier.

 

 

Image: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena