In the El Saltadero area of Albuñol in Granada province, it doesn’t take much rain for the residents to be cut off.

It only takes one storm or a few days of heavy rainfall to make the road leading to this area impassable. This leaves around 20 residents “isolated”.

After the storms that passed along Granada Costa Tropical over the past few days, several stretches of track have become impassable. If you are not in an all-terrain car, driving up is “risky” and “impossible”, especially when there is heavy rain.

“Every time it rains, the road cracks and gets washed away,” explains José Luis Puertas, a local resident who farms there. He says that the road was repaired just a few months ago, but now it is damaged again. The earth is gone, replaced by mud and stones.

Some residents have had to make difficult decisions, like José Manuel Díaz, who has lived in the area since 2002: “I have had to sell my house because every time it rains the road is impassable. You can’t do that.” He has decided to go to live in the village of La Rábita.

The residents have been forced to spend money on concrete, machines, and earth-filled trucks. The last one, just a few days ago, cost José Manuel 500 euros. “And still, as soon it rains again it will be exactly the same,” says Jose Manuel.

Pablo Sanjurjo owns seven farms around the area and claims that the problem still exists despite his investment of 12,000 Euros to concrete 180 meters. “The roads belong to all of us, so the competent administration must maintain them,” he says.

Antonio Martín, who keeps animals in a farm in the area, explains he has to go up to his farm every day because he has to feed his livestock and there are older people who live there too, like Lola, who is in her 70s and has Alzheimer’s and other conditions. Luisa, her daughter, is afraid of the worst. What will happen if there’s an emergency?

The residents proposed a simple solution that is cheap and easy to implement. They suggested building a trench and laying a pipe in order to divert water to the ravine. With a couple concrete tanks, and eight metres pipe, you can fix this. “It’s not that big a job”, they say. They also want to asphalt the entire track which is approximately 700 metres in length. This could be achieved with six lorries worth of concrete, each costing around 600 euros.

The real problems began in December 2024 when heavy rains damaged the lane. However, the track was still passable despite some difficulties. Luisa says that the worst happened in April. “It was raining almost every day for the entire month, and the rain washed all the soil away. The only thing left is the rock. Only a handful of off-road vehicles, and only with great difficulty, have been able to scale the mountain since then. It is not possible for cars to access the area. “Vehicles get stuck,” she says.

They say that Albuñol town hall initially indicated that the most damaged section was a cattle track and therefore was the responsibility of the Junta de Andalucía. Residents say that after contacting the regional administration and consulting the land registry, it was confirmed that the section in question is municipal property.

Mayor of Albuñol María José Sánchez maintains that the town hall has been calling for solutions for years: “This is a cattle track that gives access to numerous farms and farmhouses. We have brought up the issue in numerous council meetings. “We understand the residents very well, but have not received any response from the competent authorities.” However, the Junta de Andalucía states that the road “is not a cattle track, the plot indicated appears under the ownership of the town hall”.

In July 2025, after months of complaints and letters from residents, the town hall sent out machines to repair 200 metres of the worst affected section. The access was improved for a few days and vans and trucks were able drive up. However, with the winter rains, it has degraded again.