The danger of the Poyo ravine was something that could not catch the Valencian Government chaired by Carlos Mazón by surprise. And since 2014, with Mariano Rajoy in the central Executive, it has been included in the flood danger and risk maps for 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, the work to prepare the maps was completed, which were subsequently reviewed and updated in 2020.
According to the information contained in the sheet of areas of significant potential riskthis ravine would be framed in the area of the lower Turia, next to the channels of the Turia River, Salto del Agua ravine, ravines of Porchinos, Grande, Gayo, Pelos, del Gallego, dels Cavalls, la Horteta, la Saleta, la Canyada de Siscar, Garroferar, Realon, Picassent and Torrent.
The municipalities affected in the event of a flood 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 has been carried out based on information on 68 historical floods in the area and an estimated population potentially affected in the event of a flood is 159,352 people with an economic impact of 4,488 million euros, as advanced. The Provinces. Among the infrastructures that would be affected are roads, sewage treatment plants or heritage elements.
Despite the fact that everything was documented and the warnings from the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), DANA caught the Mazón Government off guard, which was unable to send an alert to the population until 8:12 p.m. on that fateful October 29, 12 hours and a half after the red level warning issued by Aemet and after many others sent in different emails by the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ). When citizens received the message, thousands were already trapped. So far there are 216 deaths 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 of the “Technical assistance for the drafting of the environmental adaptation and drainage project of the basin from the Poyo slope to the Albufera”. Within the framework of this technical assistance, an informative project was drafted (it is not a constructive project), thus giving continuity to the environmental processing of the set of proposed actions and in order to obtain a global environmental impact declaration.
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 with the new Turia riverbed and the adaptation of the Poyo ravine between the Júcar-Turia and Paiporta aqueduct, along with the drainage of the La Saleta ravine as it passes through Aldaia and Quart de Poblet.
On December 16, 2011, the Secretary of State for Climate Change Teresa Ribera (current minister) formulated a favorable environmental impact declaration for the information project for environmental adaptation and drainage of the Poyo basin on the Albufera side with a series of conditions (publication in the BOE of January 5, 2012).
On January 5, 2018, the environmental impact declaration expires as the project has not started due, according to the same sources, to the PP cuts that left between 25% and 30% of the pre-crisis budget availability for water policies.
For this reason, that same year the process began again with the cost-benefit analysis of the project. Currently, at the request of the Generalitat Valenciana, a Landscape Integration study is being drafted which, once favorably reported by the regional administration, will lead to a favorable declaration of environmental impact, approval of the project and bidding for the works.
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