The Consell Invests 21 Million in Hydraulic Infrastructure in Vega Baja

The President of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, has highlighted the investment of 21.1 million euros until 2026 "to accelerate and fulfill" the hydraulic infrastructure projects in Vega Baja on the fifth anniversary of the DANA that completely flooded the region when the Segura River overflowed in Almoradí.

The head of the regional government affirmed that the Consell is committed to accelerating and fulfilling its commitments to Vega Baja and "we will continue to do so even with our own budget, avoiding that municipalities have to bear the VAT from European funds and seeking new funding sources."

The Consell is allocating 13.5 million euros to improve irrigation hydraulic infrastructure as part of phase 2 of the 'Aid Plan for Vega Baja'. These actions aim to enhance irrigation competitiveness in the area, promote water savings, increase water efficiency, and improve adaptability to future floods.

Specifically, actions will be carried out at Arroba de San Bartolomé in Orihuela and Rafal; Azarbe de la Gralla, Azarbe de las Fuentes, Azarbe de los Caballos, Acequia de Alquibla, and Acequia Molina in Orihuela; Acequia Nueva and Acequia Palacios in Formentera del Segura; Azarbe de Piedra Horadada in Callosa de Segura; Canal del Canalillo in Albatera and Crevillente; Canal from 1st to 2nd Elevation of Levante Irrigation in Elche; and Azarbe de Cebada Aguas Vivas in Dolores.

Carlos Mazón visited San Fulgencio on the fifth anniversary of the DANA that affected Vega Baja to review the conditioning works being executed by the Generalitat.

There, a rehabilitation of the main Levante Irrigation canal will be carried out with a budget of almost 1.9 million euros. Additionally, 102 meters of the main canal are being channeled with concrete frames between the decanter and the first elevation, covering the canal with a metal platform, installing automatic trash racks next to sand trap gates, conditioning three existing pumps and installing one new pump with an investment of 1.6 million euros.

It is worth mentioning that during the DANA in 2019, the Levante Irrigation canal was used as an overflow when all azarb systems in the area were overwhelmed with water. The current objective is to increase and ensure its capacity to transport a larger volume of water during future rains.

Furthermore, the head of Consell referenced irrigation hydraulic infrastructure conditioning works being carried out by the regional government in San Fulgencio, Crevillente, Catral, and Orihuela municipalities with an investment of 4.1 million euros.

Similarly, he announced that Vega Baja will receive 3.5 million euros from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism managed by the Generalitat for conditioning, rehabilitation, and improvement of hydraulic infrastructures to tackle future floods and enhance water efficiency.

During his visit, President Mazón called on the Spanish government "to act in cleaning and maintaining our rivers or allow those willing to do so to prevent unnecessary risks for over 700,000 people living in Vega Baja."

He also urged all political forces to participate in the Water Table of Comunitat Valenciana "to unite efforts in addressing water-related demands that our region deserves."

Additionally, he highlighted Comunitat Valenciana's leadership in water reuse "because now wastewater is treated and reused after four years without a treatment plan," while emphasizing the implementation of treatment plans worth 60 million euros by the current Water Directorate.