Mayors of Vega Baja Blame CHS for Unfinished Works Five Years After the Dana

In history, as it is conventionally studied in the Western world, there is a before and after the birth of Christ. In Vega Baja, the event that marked the region's history forever was the Dana of 2019. Five years have passed as of this Thursday, and some still shudder when storm clouds gather or hear that dreaded meteorological acronym. On this anniversary, many municipalities recalled the harshest moments of that fateful 'Santa María flood' that claimed no less than six lives. One such locality was, unsurprisingly, the regional capital, Orihuela. Mayor Pepe Vegara (PP) visited one of the hamlets in the zero zone: Media Legua. Along with other areas in Orihuela such as El Escorratel and Molins, these were among the hardest hit by the rains. It was time to take stock, and Vegara was clear. Five years later, the path is still unpaved.

The promised infrastructures to prevent another devastating flood in Bajo Segura, claimed the Orihuela mayor, remain on paper and not on the ground. An example of this is the much-talked-about works to channel the waters flowing down the dangerous Tabala and Abanilla ravines, which remain unexecuted by CHS. Vegara pointed directly at them, at the river basin authority. "Those who do not remember run the risk of forgetting, and that is why we are here commemorating those days because every time it rains a little bit, we are somehow afraid, and that is not recovering normality. The way to avoid that fear is for the administrations responsible for handling ravines, rivers, and flood protection to take necessary actions," insisted the Orihuela mayor. He absolved, however, Carlos Mazón's Consell from this responsibility. "The Generalitat Valenciana has a commitment to us, and CHS must commit to us."

So far, the only visible works have been those carried out under the previous Botanic Consell's Vega Renhace Plan. In recent years, some of the most affected ditches and irrigation channels have been upgraded to increase their drainage capacity. Additionally, some municipalities like Rafal, Bigastro, and San Isidro have inaugurated new retention basins and flood parks. However, the mouth of the Segura River in Guardamar remains clogged with mud and reeds, hindering the smooth escape of large water flows.

"We are still without any significant works five years later," lamented Almoradí Mayor María Gómez. The municipality, located in the heart of the region, was also severely hit when the riverbank collapsed as it passed through town, flooding its entire urban area. Yesterday, during a visit to Azud de Alfeitamí irrigators, she echoed her Orihuela colleague's call for CHS to take action. "The most important works we need are those they have to do, but we are still only doing studies and preliminary projects."

Last week, anticipating this anniversary, Generalitat President Carlos Mazón visited works at Levante Irrigation Canal in San Fulgencio to announce that Consell will allocate 13.5 million euros as part of phase two of what they now call "Vega Baja Aid," a rebranding of the old Vega Renhace Plan. This name change has been heavily criticized by socialists whose groups did not miss an opportunity this Thursday to honor former President Ximo Puig as the mastermind behind this investment plan for the region after Dana.

Orihuela's mayor praised what he sees as proof of commitment from the current PP Consell for investing "seven million euros to implement measures such as dredging Segura River and irrigation channels to mitigate damage."

According to CHS's statement last June, tenders for Tabala's anti-flood dam works are not expected until 2027. The river basin authority must assess impacts on the AVE line and two highways due to an embankment intended to prevent flooding in areas like Murcia, Beniel, and Orihuela. As for Abanilla ravine, the only planned work is to increase capacity in an existing diversion channel towards Santomera reservoir—a reservoir that was nearly overwhelmed during Dana when water levels almost breached its dam.