The Global Plan against the Júcar floods in 2000 provided for the construction of three dams in the area affected by DANA to protect half of a territory that they considered uncontrolled against flooding. More than 24 years later, the Estubeny and Marquesado dams have escaped government planning, which considers them of questionable viability, and little progress has been made in processing the environmental impact statement of the Montesa dam, the only one that has survived within the third cycle of Hydrological Planning of the Executive.
According to the planning of the year 2000, the surface not controlled by rolling reservoirs – which allow reducing the force with which the floods flow – from the foot of the dams of Tous in the Júcar, Bellús in the Albaida and Forata in the Magro The point of confluence with the Júcar measured approximately 2,230 km2.
With the construction of these three dams, 246 km2 would be controlled with the Estubeny Dam, 520 km2 with the Montesa Dam and 300 km2 with the Marquesado Dam, which represented 48% of the territory at serious risk of flooding.
The Ministry of Environment document at the time showed its general preference for dams, with regard to canal conditioning, due to the problems of the existing tributaries downstream of Tous, mainly the Sellent, Albaida and Magro rivers.
This same week, the College of Civil, Canal and Port Engineers launched a call to carry out the projects proposed to avoid flooding and asked administrations not to stop at the argument that the solution is expensive. On the other hand, environmental groups such as Acció Ecologista opposed its construction due to its environmental impact.
Few resources
In January 2023, the Ministry of Ecological Transition approved the new hydrological plan for the Júcar basin. In this document, with the elimination of the Estubeny and Marquesado dams, an investment of 223 million euros is planned for issues related to flood containment for the period 2022 and 2027, even if we consider that the Unfavorable climatic phenomena would increase in the years to come due to the climate. change. The current Hydrological Plan includes a total of 492 measures with a total budget of 2.185 million.
Ribera has included in this third planning cycle a total of 32 measures to prevent flooding, compared to the 150 proposals for pollution reduction or the 59 dedicated to water governance, that is, it has in no case been considered as a priority issue of resource allocation (barely 10%), nor in terms of number of measures.
Adding to this lack of attention is the fact that half of the items planned for flood recovery and overhaul and risk management have been left without financial allocation.
Among the items that are short of money are, for example, emergency works to repair affected infrastructure, including basic health and environmental infrastructure. Civil protection plans for health support actions, financial assistance, including legal assistance, as well as temporary relocation of the affected population. Promoting flood insurance for people and property, including agricultural insurance. And finally, the evaluation, analysis and diagnosis of lessons learned from flood management.
Paralysis since 2000
The document prepared by Ecological Transition was, however, the first to include the measures corresponding to flooding since the planning corresponding to the second cycle – prepared by the Popular Party Government – did not include them because they corresponded to the Flood Risk Management Plan . .
According to the text of the document in force, the current plan is limited to bringing together “in a synthetic manner all the measures that are part of the Flood Risk Management Plan of the Júcar Hydrographic Demarcation of the second cycle”, it is i.e. No additional proposals were added during the last revision.
Hydrological planning also includes twelve measures aimed at reducing or mitigating the effects of flooding (including 10 under the responsibility of the Generalitat Valenciana) for a total of 51.8 million euros.
The measures focus on actions in the province of Valencia in the following municipalities: Alcàsser, Alginet, Almussafes, Benifaiò, Beniparrell, Silla and Sollana, as well as in the area of Barranco dels Frares which includes Burjassot, Godella, Rocafort and Valencia In Castellón. , it involves the municipalities of Aín (Barranco de Teulería) and Benlloc (Barranco de la Font). The Ministry of Ecological Transition has not yet presented on its website the monitoring report of the Flood Risk Management Plan corresponding to the years 2022 and 2023, but in 2021, it is already indicated that a large part of the planned measures were not carried out.
The EIB allocates 900 million to floods
The EIB is preparing an immediate response of 900 million to accelerate the deployment of existing initiatives and support the reconstruction of critical infrastructure which will be led by regional authorities and public bodies in Spain, as was done in response to the floods in Central Europe on last month. of September. “The European Investment Bank has acted quickly to accelerate financial support for the repair and reconstruction of homes, businesses and infrastructure. We must ensure we build back better: with techniques adapted to the new reality, which resist and protect against more frequent climate shocks. and intense”, said Nadia Calviño, President of the EIB.
