Living Among Mud: Monnegre Residents Flee Homes Whenever It Rains

"We are abandoned," expresses José Saiz in frustration as he attempts to reach his home via the Monnegre road, in the rural area of the same name. In one of the most remote parts of Alicante —excluding the summit of Cabeçó d'Or, which also belongs to the capital's municipality— residents watch with fear as grey clouds loom over the mountain. The problem is that rain turns this unpaved road into a quagmire, a slope that becomes a trap for many, preventing them from entering or leaving their homes.

For Saiz, the situation is even tougher. With a recognised disability of 70%, every time there is a rain warning, he flees to his second residence for fear of being trapped at home. This is something that, he claims, many of his neighbours also do, including elderly people and families with young children. Therefore, they have launched a campaign on Change.org to collect signatures and demand the council fix this road.

The conflict is not new. For years, they have been demanding that the Alicante City Council pave the remaining streets in this rural area. The first document kept by Josefina Sarrión, another resident, was submitted by her father over 18 years ago. Her house is at the end of the road, and when it rains, the water drags all the earth to her terrace, preventing them from accessing by car. "We want to live there, but when it rains, we have to park at the schools and walk down a clayey terrain. I don't understand how, if we pay urban IBI and waste fees, we don't have the same services as any other Alicante resident," she explains.

Sarrión explains that when they are at their home in Monnegre, they live at the mercy of the sky: if it starts to rain, they must quickly move the car, and if not, they suffer the consequences of the damage. Her personal situation further exacerbates the problem: her husband is on leave due to a broken vertebra, and in case of emergency, the ambulance cannot access. "To live there, we have to take risks," she acknowledges.

According to the residents, the council presented them with a plan years ago to complete the paving of the area, valued at over a million euros. However, it was never executed. "They always tell us there's no money, but we suggested they at least start with this street, where we live all year," Saiz comments.

For Sarrión, the neglect is severe, but so is the apathy. Not only do they not receive responses to their requests, but sometimes the actions of the City Council worsen the situation. "A few years ago, they laid down uncompacted earth, and with the next rain, everything ended up in my yard. The road developed grooves a metre deep. The solution? Put up a fence," she explains.

Saiz acknowledges that recently they manage with the help of a neighbour who, with much goodwill, uses his tractor to level the road after each rain. The residents themselves bear the cost of the sand and fuel needed to access their homes. However, they cannot help but think that they should not be the ones responsible for repairing the damage caused by the rains on a municipally owned road.