The danger of the Poyo ravine could not surprise the Valencian government chaired by Carlos Mazón. And since 2014, with Mariano Rajoy in the Central Executive, it has been included in the danger and flood risk maps of all of Spain.
Flood hazard and risk maps constitute the fundamental information on which the flood risk management plans of each region and municipality are based. In 2014, work on developing the maps was completed, which were subsequently revised and updated in 2020.
According to the information contained in the sheet of areas with significant potential risk, this ravine would be framed in the lower zone of the Turia, next to the channels of the Turia river, the ravine Salto del Agua, Porchinos, Grande, Gayo, Pelos, del Gallego . , dels Cavalls, Horteta, Saleta, Canyada de Siscar, Garroferar, Realon, Picassent and Torrent.
The municipalities affected in the event of flooding would be Alaquàs, Albal, Alcàsser, Aldaia, Alfafar, Benaguasil, Benetússer, Beniparrell, Bugarra, Catarroja, Cheste, Chiva, Gestalgar, Llocnou de la Corona, Loriguilla, Manises, Massanassa, Mislata, Paiporta, Paterna, Pedralba, Picanya, Picassent, Quart de Poblet, Riba-roja de Turia, Sedaví, Silla, Sollana, Torrent, Valencia, Vilamarxant and Xirivella.
The study was carried out based on information on 68 historical floods in the area and the estimated population potentially affected in the event of a flood is 159,352 people with an economic impact of €4,488 million, as stated. The provinces. Among the infrastructures that would be affected are roads, wastewater treatment plants and even heritage elements.
Despite the fact that everything was documented and the warnings from the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), DANA caught the Mazón government by surprise, which was only able to send an alert to the population at 8:12 p.m., which fateful October 29, 12 p.m. and a half after the red level warning issued by Aemet and after numerous others sent in different emails by the Hydrographic Confederation of Júcar (CHJ). When citizens received the message, thousands of people were already trapped. So far there are 216 dead and 16 missing.
A project stalled since 2006 to improve the ravine
As reported by the Ministry of Ecological Transition to elDiario.es, in November 2006, the General Directorate of Water of the Ministry of the Environment published the specifications for “technical assistance for the development of the environmental adaptation and drainage project for the Poyo Trail basin towards Albufera”. As part of this technical assistance, an informative project was drawn up (it is not a constructive project), thus giving continuity to the environmental treatment of all the proposed actions and with a view to obtaining a declaration overall environmental impact.
This informative study gives rise to the writing of six projects. In November 2010, the construction projects that develop the information project for environmental adaptation and drainage of the Poyo basin on the Albufera side were completed, among which are the greenway connecting the Poyo ravine to the new bed of the Turia river and the adaptation of the Poyo ravine between the Júcar-Turia aqueduct and Paiporta, as well as the drainage of the La Saleta ravine during its passage through Aldaia and Quarter of Poblet.
On December 16, 2011, the Secretary of State for Climate Change Teresa Ribera (current minister) formulated a favorable environmental impact statement for the information project on environmental adaptation and drainage of the Poyo basin, on the side of Albufera, with a series of conditions (publication in (BOE of January 5, 2012).
On January 5, 2018, the environmental impact statement expired because the project did not start due, according to the same sources, to cuts in the PP which left between 25% and 30% of the budget available before the crisis for politicians water.
It is for this reason that in the same year the process was restarted with the cost-benefit analysis of the project. Currently, at the request of the Generalitat Valenciana, a landscape integration study is being developed which, once favorably reported by the regional administration, will lead to a favorable declaration of environmental impact, to the approval of the project and a call for tenders for the works.
