Said Pedro Sanchez during his appearance this Monday, after the extraordinary Council of Ministers, that “we must listen to the technicians, learn from science and draw lessons from this climate emergency from which our planet is suffering”.
What he did not say is that it was his government which paralyzed in 2021 the work planned for “channeling and drainage” of the Poyo and Saleta ravines. Nor that this decision was taken by the Ministry of Therese Ribera for two reasons that have nothing to do with technology, science and climate change.
The overflowing of the two ravines on the night of October 29 was the origin of the DANA, which caused enormous flooding in all the localities located along its banks.
The very heavy rains located at its source transformed usually dry canals into a tsunami almost 2,000 m3/s on boulevards just over 50 kilometers long, with a slope of over 1,000 meters.
And the entrainment of sediment, rocks, logs, debris and reeds served as fuel and a devastating battering ram. Aldaïa And TorrentFor example, in the case of La Saleta; And Paiporta, Massanassa, Alfafar, User Benet, Beniparrell, Alba either Sedavi…in Poyo’s case.
“Budget availability”
The reality is that the “project environmental adaptation and drainage of the Poyo basin slope towards Albufera (Valencia)” and that of “green road connecting the Saleta ravine to the Turia river” and they stopped three years ago “due to lack of budgetary availability and environmental problems”.
Concretely, due to the “new vision of the cost-benefit” of the actions, according to a document signed by Javier Ferrer polo shirttechnical director of the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ), to which this newspaper had access.
Report from the Ministry of Ecological Transition, signed by Javier Ferrer, technical director of the CHJ.
And also because of its “incompatibility” with the Law 5/2018 of March 6 on the Huerta de Valenciaapproved in March 2018 by the Advice of the socialist Ximo Puig.
This is how we recognize a flood risk management plan monitoring report of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge 2022 and 2023, the latest public events. This other document indicates, concerning the diversion of the Poyo ravine, that “the solution initially envisaged must be reoriented” due to its conflict with regional regulations.
The report on Flood Risk Management Plans (PGRI) addresses “the challenge of new structural measures” already planned, even startedwithin the limits of the Confederation. But with “a new vision”.
The decision to paralyze the work, classified as “priority” by the CHJ itself, and with the projects developed between 2006 and 2011, had already been taken. It is striking that CHJ himself recognizes that Floods in the region are “recurring”and count them “historically” in at least 68with a dozen of them since 2000.
Actions planned in the Poyo ravine and its adjacent localities since 1994.
However, on September 16, 2021, the Ministry organized a day entitled Presentation of the PGRI of the second cycle hydrographic districtsin which the projects which have been submitted to “new cost-benefit analysis”.
On this date, it should be remembered that the president of the CHJ was already the socialist Miguel Polo and that the Director General of Water was Teodoro Estrelaanother Valencian. Both, dependent on the third vice-president, Therese Ribera (in Brussels, 29-O) and the Secretary of State, Hugo Moran (which was in Colombia).
Bank was accused of “hiding” during the two weeks following the disaster. He was not at his post that day, he did not visit the affected area nor did he give explanations, criticized the PP, which demanded that he appear at the Conrgeso ” as Carlos Mazón will do on Thursday at the Valencian Corts”.
Today, on the eve of her examination in Brussels, where the European Parliament must decide whether to approve her as new vice-president of the Commission, the minister revealed this Monday evening to Efe that will appear at his request before the plenary session of 20.
Ribera and Sánchez believe that we are falling into the trap of their maneuvers.
Minister DANA has been hiding and now, to cover up her incompetence, she is asking to appear before Congress.
Image washing for Europe?
They only care about the situation, but they no longer fool anyone.– Dolors Montserrat (@DolorsMM) November 11, 2024
The need for the work
The need to adapt the Poyo and Saleta channels has been a reality detected, at least, since 1994, as reported by EL ESPAÑOL this Tuesday. In this period, since the last government of Felipe Gonzalez aware Pedro Sancheznine initiatives were taken to respond to this work. But for various legal, bureaucratic or environmental problemsthey all ended up in a drawer.
It turns out that in 2009, the CHJ prepared the informative project focused on the Barranco del Poyo, with seven actions foreseen. Its objective was to reduce the risk of flooding in the Valencian towns located in the ravine area and at the same time protect the Albufera Natural Park, as published by the BOE.
“Greenway” project from the Saleta ravine to the new bed of the Turia river, a work never before carried out.
The action was to take place in 11 municipalities: Alaquas, Aldaïa, Bunol, chiva, Origilla, Paiporta, Picanya, Quarter of Poblet, Ribarroja of Turia, Torrent And Xirivelle.
Among the planned actions, the most advanced were the connection of the ravine with the bed of the Turia river and the action on the Saleta ravine, in Aldaïacommune also devastated by DANA on October 29.
Two years later, in 2011, Therese Riberathen Secretary of State for Climate Change, signed the environmental impact statement in favor of the implementation of the “environmental adaptation and drainage of the Poyo basin on the Albufera side” project, but she did not more accomplished.
And it is precisely this work which, once the bureaucratic obstacles were overcome, would be undertaken until 2021, when they “paralyzed” for the “new cost-benefit vision” of the Ministry of Riverside and for “environmental problems” with the Verger Puig Law, of 2018.
CHJ himself admitted this, in January 2023the “priority” need for these actions. And the President of the Confederation himself had already insisted on this November 2022after some “one-off” work. This is what an internal note from the CHJ indicates: “The need to provide the Poyo and Saleta ravines with a comprehensive solution that will allow the implementation of structural measures that will reduce the risk of flooding of this important and strategic industrial zone”.
In addition, the member of the College of Civil Engineers, Canals and Ports of Valencia,
Fede Bonet warns that, even if “Zero risk does not exist”actions in the Poyo ravine (where “major works” have not been carried out for 20 years) are essential to “minimize” tragedies like that of last week.
According to this engineer, we should prioritize “and act as quickly as possible in the Saleta ravine to improve its drainage”, which usually causes flooding in the municipality of Aldaia.
And in the Poyo ravine, “we should act in the mountains, where it has its source”, and reforest the area “to repair the ground and so that the water does not flow so quickly.” It would also be necessary install new “dams that hold back the water and allow it to descend little by little”.
Already in “cities and towns”, Bonet defends tougher actions. To start, “divert part of the flow of the Poyo towards the Turia”as has been planned for more than 20 years, with a “greenway, a canal which would divert part of its flow”.
And the Valencian engineer recalls that these are actions already included in the current hydrological plans, but that “they have never been carried out”. In fact, there is works designed since the flood suffered by Valencia in 1957when the diversion of the Turia river bed was promoted, which are not executed.
