ALARMING new footage shows Malaga’s Montejaque dam filled with water which is just 26cm from overflowing into the Guadiaro valley.
The video was shared soon after the government’s Andalucia delegate, Pedro Fernandez, visited Benaojan, where the dam is located, and conveyed concerns about its potential overflow.
When he visited water was 30cm from the dam’s rim but since then it has risen by a further 4cm.
It may be even closer to the rim, as on Monday, a Guardia Civil told The Olive Press it was a ‘quarter of a meter’ from the top. It came after a local mayor told a reader that it had gone from 1.6 metres to 1.2 metres in just a day.
We calculated yesterday that at this rate, the Dam will start overflowing tomorrow morning, however, with rain predicted tonight this could be sooner.
In its 100-year history, the ‘Ghost Dam’ has never been so full.
Over 200 locals remain evacuated as a preventative measure – if the dam overflows it is set to cause devastation across the municipality.
The situation is being constantly monitored by the Unidad Militar de Emergencias (UME), the Guardia Civil and Endesa technicians with Andalucia being held at the second operative emergency level.
These officials are working to find out if there is a way to let the water out safely before it spills over the edge.
As the situation continues residents are urged to exercise extreme caution and stay away from the dam and all river banks.
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