At a full meeting of Manilva's municipal corporation last month there was a unanimous decision to approve a proposal to create a commission to investigate the best way in which to manage Manilva's domestic water supply.

As the Mayor, Salvador Zotano, explained in 2008 the contract for the municipal water supply between the Town Council and Aguagest S.A. will be up for renewal, and it is with this in mind that the decision has been made to initiate a study to determine how best to serve the public interest.

One proposal being considered is the possibility of creating a combined company to address the many problems with the water supply from its source right through to the delivery, as well as the ever present threat of drought, and to also improve on the poor financial deal that the Town Council currently has with Aguagest.

For this purpose a working party comprised of five councillors, one from each of the political groups – Salvador Zotano, PSOE; Jose Benitez, PDEM; Carlos Gomez, Independent; Antonio Munoz, IU; and Emilio Lopez, ASM; along with the Town Clerk, the Inspector, a municipal technician and another professional to be designated by the Mayor's Office.

This commission will compile a document outlining all the social, economic, legal, technical and financial aspects involved with the domestic water supply and which form its management will best serve the citizens of Manilva, and whether in fact it is technically viable to modify the current situation.

Salvador Zotano pointed out that there was already an audit being carried out to ascertain definitively the future cost of maintaining the current arrangement between the Ayuntamiento and Aguagest S.A.