The Rambla de La Santa in Totana

This normally dry channel can become a raging torrent of floodwater following heavy rain

Many towns in southern Spain are built on either side of a “rambla”, a waterway cut by nature which allows the vast volumes of water from heavy "gota fría" storms to run down into the rivers and seas.

The intensity of these autumn rains often follows months of seemingly endless sun and, with the ground baked rock hard, water is not easily absorbed, choosing the easiest route downhill.

In Totana the main "rambla" of floodwater channel cuts right through the heart of the town, and is named after Santa Eulalia and the area of La Santa through which the channel passes on its route down from the high ground of Sierra Espuña.

Ramblas normally run at the base of an area of sloping land and are fed by thousands of small run-offs along their course, and where they run through urban areas are generally supported and lined to prevent collapse.

This is one such rambla, and although it is generally dry it is a vital part of the town’s infrastructure, as the video clearly shows. In the case of Totana the town grew around the rambla, with residential areas on either bank.

There is ample parking alongside the rambla.