The floods caused by DANA that devastated Valencia two weeks ago swept away, in addition to buildings and cars, much of the infrastructure that provided minimal services such as electricity or running water. Little by little, some of these networks are recovering, however they are still far from the ‘normality’ prior to the event: neighbors report that electricity cuts are constant and the relevant authorities have warned that the water, even if it arrives from new to homes, do not use it for drinking or cooking at the moment. Those affected now wonder how long these conditions will continue and experts do not venture to give forecasts.
“Every time we meet with the water operators’ technicians, they cannot specify it,” Ana Allende, a CSIC research professor and expert in food safety and water quality, stated in an information meeting organized by the SMC. “It’s the million dollar question.” Allende, who in fact has traveled to Valencia to provide advice on the rehabilitation work of these services, explained that, although the daily analyzes carried out on the supply waters “have been working well for days”, The truth is that they are made at the outlet of the water treatment plants and not throughout the distribution system.
“At this time, a very tedious job of checking the pipes throughout the supply network one by one begins, because right now it cannot be determined how many water distribution pipes may have been affected.” Hence the advice of Public Health, the Generalitat of Valencia and the Ministry of Health that the affected municipalities continue consuming bottled water, “at least for drinking and cooking” until further notice.
The biggest problem, according to Allende, is that, in events like these, wastewater with fecal contamination or even chemical agents leaks through possible cracks or defects in the pipes that may have suffered damage after the disaster. However, the expert has assured that, although it cannot be predicted when it will be possible to drink tap water, “many people, including members from other parts of Spain and even Europe, are working to solve it as soon as possible.”
Wastewater Filtration
Tap water isn’t the only source of concern for food safety experts right now. Waterlogged crops also pose a potential risk. “In these types of extreme rain and flood events, there is usually a mixture of all types of water, from those that come from rain to those from sanitation and runoff, which can also come from areas close to polluting farms or industries,” the expert explained. «If wastewater reaches a crop field we are facing great danger, because it contains countless pathogenic microorganisms and chemical contaminants. “Sewage should never reach the fields, or even be close to them.”
In the case of foods grown on woody trees or in aerial crops, the expert urges to study case by case the feasibility of harvesting without the fruit being contaminated and the probability of splashing with contaminated water. But, in the case of vegetables that have been in contact with these potentially contaminated sources, it is much more blunt: “They must be destroyed.”
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