One of the most serious problems for thousands of residents of the towns flooded by DANA on October 29 continues to be the accumulation of water in underground garages of many buildings, a circumstance entrenched in the week that will mark one month since the tragedy that left more than 220 dead. Once the streets have been cleared, a reinforcement plan to extract the sludge will be activated this Monday under the direction of the Valencia Provincial Council. At the same time, the evacuation of the 120,000 accumulated cars in the 60 fields enabled in the municipalities of l’Horta Sud, and will do so in Alfafar, Paiporta and Massanassa.
Both measures were communicated this Sunday after the daily meeting of the Integrated Operational Coordination Center (Cecopi). In that body, the president of the Provincial Council, Vicent Mompoannounced that work on the garages will begin this Monday, something that was confirmed by both the Government delegate, Pilar Bernabeas the general director of Fire Prevention, Rosa Touris. In fact, the teams have already traveled to the area and are carrying out the first inspections.
“This is one of the fundamental questions we are dealing with, especially to protect citizens so that in particular they do not carry out this sludge extraction to guarantee their safety and do so with basic safety standards that these companies will carry out,” Bernabé explained.
For his part, TourÃs added that it is “a process of extreme complexity”, given that “first you have to make an evaluation of the area where you are going to act and, when the security conditions are adequate, in each case will proceed with the extraction.” In this regard, he highlighted that priority has been given to points where, “for reasons of public health and emergency, action must be taken”in which staff are being provided with “the necessary means and PPE.” Specifically, the municipalities in which this plan is being applied are Albal, Aldaia, Catarroja, Alfafar, Massanassa, Paiporta, Picanya, Benetússer, Algemesà and SedavÃ.
In parallel, added TourÃs, work is being done to free sewage networks with 125 trucks of sludge extraction deployed in the affected areas, mainly in Paiporta and Catarroja. The next phase will address the improvement of the pipelines of the industrial estates.
Regarding the withdrawal of the stacked vehicles In open fields, the plan is activated in Alfafar, Paiporta and Massanassa, points established as “priority” after the census carried out by environmental agents. This is an “operation that had never been launched” in Spain and Europe. This measure is “an advance” until the central government approves the Royal Decree Law “to expedite the expert opinion and definitive withdrawal procedures of the vehicles for their final treatment in the authorized plants,” TourÃs detailed. The Government delegate assured that there will be “total coordination” to guarantee traceability, which will allow the Insurance Consortium contact all owners.