Serranía de Ronda flood recovery: villages face €12m repair bill after 2026 storms

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One month after devastating floods swept through the Ronda area of Malaga province, most residents have returned home, but local municipalities face a long road to recovery with extensive infrastructure damage

Antonio M. Romero

Málaga

Monday, 16 March 2026, 11:04 | Updated 11:21h.

SUR has returned to Malaga province's Ronda district to visit the residents of villages who had to leave their homes due to the floods that ravaged Andalucía in February.

One month after their return, they are still waiting for some of their neighbours to return and assessing the damage to homes, businesses and the countryside.

The Serranía de Ronda was among the areas of the region worst hit by the storms. Local authorities are now processing aid from the central and regional governments as well as from the provincial authority to help the municipalities recover.

The scale of the damage in the Ronda area of Malaga province

The Serranía de Ronda was among the worst-hit areas in Andalucía during the February storms. While the immediate fear of the Guadiaro river and the Montejaque dam overflowing has subsided, the financial and structural impact is only now being fully realised.

• Ronda Municipality: Damage estimated at €5 million, particularly in rural areas like La Indiana and Llano de la Cruz.

• Cartajima: Infrastructure and warehouse damage totalling €3.5 million.

• Benaoján: Losses estimated at €3 million.

• Jimera de Líbar: Repairs valued at €150,000.

The inhabitants of the district still feel fresh the fear they lived with in early February: the increased flow of the Guadiaro river, the Montejaque dam on the verge of overflowing and the underground water rumble that felt like an earthquake.

The residents of Ronda, who sheltered the evacuees from the village of Grazalema (Cadiz province) during the storm, are mostly concerned about the road infrastructure in the municipality. According to the town hall, the damages amount to five million euros.

Transport and road closures in the Serranía de Ronda update

• MA-8405: Linking the MA-7402 and Los Villalones (remains closed).

• MA-8306: (A-369 to Benalauría) Closed to heavy traffic.

• MA-7402: (A-374 to Acinipo) Work is currently paused pending an archaeological assessment near the Acinipo site.

Note for travellers: Cartajima currently only has one accessible road, which is unsuitable for large vehicles.

The impact of the storms is particularly noticeable in the rural areas of La Indiana and Llano de la Cruz, close to the Guadalevín and Guadalcobacín riverbeds, and the districts of Puerto Saúco and Los Villalones, near the Acinipo archaeological site.

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One of the houses in Benaoján that was flooded during the storm. Salvador Salas

According to estimates, the damage in Benaoján amounts to three million euros. The government sub-delegation has locally set up an office to process aid applications.

Mayor of Jimera de Líbar Francisco Javier Lobo hopes that the aid from public administrations will arrive "soon" so that they can start working on repairs worth 150,000 euros.

The storm has also left unique sights such as the full Montejaque dam or the 20 water springs in Jimera de Líbar, which have turned into a tourist attraction.

Three roads in the district remain partially cut

Although many roads are now open, there are still some that remain closed: the MA-8405 linking the MA-7402 and Los Villalones and the MA-8306 from the A-369 to Benalauría (the latter only to heavy traffic).

The provincial authority has already launched repair work on 14 of the 15 roads under its jurisdiction. The only road on which work has not begun is the MA-7402 from the A-374 to Acinipo, which is pending archaeological assessment.