THE Hydrographic Confederation of Júcar defends the presence of reeds and vegetation in boulevards and ravines as a natural way to stop flooding. A statement that contrasts with the images seen on October 29 tons of canes which had not been removed, washed away by floods and causing blockages on bridges. Given this, there are already several municipalities –Elchefor example – who decided to withdraw unilaterally the vegetation at the edge of its ravines and watercourses. They denounce that on numerous occasions, the Confederation does not respond to their requests for authorization. And by acting unilaterally, they risk administrative fines of up to 300,000 euros.
THE DANA and the resulting tragic floods accelerated the cleaning of the ravines and boulevards of the Valencian Community. But this was not on the part of the Hydrographic Conference, which is responsible for it, but on the part of the municipalities which were not affected but which took careful note of what could happen if their watercourses are not properly maintained. Municipal councils like Alicante either Elche They have already gotten to work. The man from Elche even without waiting for permits “faced with countless emails and calls to the Ministry and the CHJ» which did not receive a response.
These municipalities and others that are considering doing so, as OKDIARIO has learned from autonomous Valencian sources, have made the decision even knowing that the CHJ is considering high fines for those who carry out these tasks without their green light. An authorization that lasts forever with bureaucratic procedures, analyzes and environmental assessments of the impact on flora and fauna of these actions. “Neglect», they say from Elche.
As the Confederation itself reflects in the legislation mentioned on its website, minor and less serious administrative offenses will be considered “actions or omissions causing damage to property in the public hydraulic domainprovided that the valuation of these does not exceed 15,000,000 euros. From there, all sanctions depend on the CHJ, from there they correspond directly to the Council of Ministers.
The sanctions regime ranges from 6,000 to 300,000 euroseven if some municipalities are already carrying out cleaning despite their exposure to these fines.
Defense of vegetation
The president of the Hydrographic Confederation of Júcar (CHJ), Miguel Polo Cebellán, assured in 2021 that “vegetation is essential to reduce the impact of flooding”. However, on October 29, the Poyo ravine, located in the province of Valencia, overflowed, bringing large quantities of mud, reeds, wood scraps, weeds and other natural debris. The Júcar Confederation, an organization dependent on the Ministry of Ecological Transition led by Teresa Ribera, only informed the Emergencies of the Generalitat Valenciana of this situation at 6:43 p.m. and did so only by email.
These statements by Polo Cebellán were collected in 2021 in an interview for the magazine Camp Valenciapublished by La Unió Llauradora i Ramadera, an agricultural entity of the Valencian Community. During the interview he was asked: “What measures is the Confederation taking to clean ravines and river banks, in order to prevent flooding?».
In response, Cébellan Polo Shirt explains: “The Confederation does not carry out canal cleaning work with the aim of preventing flooding. Our position has always been: riparian vegetation acts as an attenuator flooding at the basin level. If you remove vegetation from a section, the water will flow faster and reduce its depth, but the problem will move downstream. Therefore, from a hydrographic management perspective, vegetation is essential to reduce the effects of flooding,” he stressed.
Likewise, the president of the CHJ clarified: “Although We do not do general chain cleaningwe allocate a considerable budget for maintenance and conservation. For example, we focus on removing obstacles formed after floods. I also want to point out that when we remove the reeds from some rivers We do not do this to remove vegetation, but to restore the banks. Cane is an invasive species and, after removing it, “We are replanting native species”he indicated.
In recent years, the PP of the Provincial Delegation of Valencia, initially represented by its spokesperson and current president of the institution, Vicente Mompó, has repeatedly asked the CHJ for an “exhaustive cleaning of the canals and ravines of the province of Valencia, especially in areas prone to flooding, given the forecast for heavy rain.
The most popular highlighted that the lack of cleaning in these spaces has led, for example, to the arrival of tons of reeds on Valencian beaches in 2022. “The lack of cleaning in the canals and ravines represents a serious problem for citizens, something that we transferred to the president of the CHJ, Miguel Polo Cebellán,” Mompó said at the time.
In addition, the PP presented a motion to the Provincial Council of Valencia requesting the revision of the protocols so that municipalities can more quickly obtain the necessary authorizations to clean and maintain urban canals.
In this context, the mayor of Algemesí, José Javier Sanchis (PP), denounced that in August 2023 he asked the Hydrographic Confederation of Júcar to clean the bed of the Magro River, arguing that it was in a state “regrettable” which put him in danger. . Having not received a response, he insisted again in July 2024, but did not receive a response from the organization led by Miguel Polo Cebellán.
