Malaga fast-tracks emergency pipeline repairs to reopen Arraijanal beach

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Work begins on €1.5m replacement after winter floods caused catastrophic sewage pipe collapse into the Guadalhorce river

Chus Heredia

Wednesday, 22 April 2026, 16:34

The new pipeline between the Guadalhorce wastewater treatment plant and the Guadalmar wastewater pumping station will be ready in August.

The collapse of the old pipe, which broke and fell into the river during the storms this winter, has brought significant health, environmental and economic implications. The Arraijanal beach, for example, remains closed to swimmers due to the presence of faecal bacteria.

The storm in December

"Wastewater from the Churriana, Finca Monsálvez and Guadalmar districts in Malaga, as well as the wastewater from the municipality of Torremolinos, flows to the Guadalhorce wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) via two 1,000-millimetre-diameter pressure pipes. These pipes cross the Guadalhorce river supported by a 68-metre-long reinforced concrete structure. The heavy rains of 27 and 28 December 2025, caused a significant rise in the Guadalhorce river, reaching record levels. As a result of this flooding, one of the piers of the structure was damaged and gave way, causing the two pipes to collapse," the tender specifications that served as the basis for the bidding process state.

Currently, wastewater flows into the sea through the drainage pipes of the Guadalmar pumping stations. "Emasa is making every effort to restore sanitation services temporarily by using a 500-millimetre-diameter pipeline for reclaimed water from the wastewater treatment plant to the entire western area, which is currently installed," the statement highlights.

Municipal sources indicate that this temporary solution is nearly complete and that normalcy should return to the beach shortly.

The work

Restoring normal service requires reinstalling the two pipes that crossed the Guadalhorce river. This will be done by installing two polyethylene pipes, each 1,000 millimetres in diameter and 120 metres long, crossing the low-water section of the Guadalhorce river.

The pipes will then run along the foot of the embankment of the flood control mound, before finally rising to the crest of the mound and connecting to the existing pipes at the inlet connection chamber to the WWTP. This second section will be constructed using two glass-fibre-reinforced polyester pipes, each 1,000 millimetres in diameter and 160 metres long.

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