By Peter Houghton
Tuesday, October 29th, 2024, will go down as one of the saddest chapters in the history of Spain. That day the great Dana hit the Valencia region with such catastrophic results, causing widespread destruction and a tragic death toll.
It is impossible not to be emotionally moved when watching the scale of destruction – homes gone, complete roads washed away, historic bridges, railway lines and long stretches of motorways all destroyed, but as the tragic loss of life continues to grow, the questions as to how this was this allowed to happen need urgently to be answered.
We are in the 21st century, with weather warnings, storm alerts, emergency messages sent direct to your phone, so should the authorities have been better prepared?
Even today we still remember, locally, the Dana of 2019, which caused a considerable amount of damage here on Orihuela Costa – but it was nothing compared to Valencia.
In my opinion our damage was caused by several factors, but mainly as a result of the kind of construction we have here. What I mean is that building takes place at such a pace, without any forward planning regarding infrastructure; particularly where the rain goes when it does come. Construction – all that cement and bricks – creates a canal, diverting water away from its natural course, the barrancas.
We estimate that about a third to a half of all natural barrancas have been taken out of use because of all that construction, so water has no choice but to find another course. You cannot play with nature, it will find a way, and with the climate changing as it is, storms could become more frequent and more intense, so there needs to be far more forward planning.
Our town hall needs to be much more astute, putting people’s lives before allowing more and more building just for money, or we could become the next Valencia.
Instead of putting proper appropriate planning first, there still is a mad scramble to construct housing on every parcel of spare land, without due consideration to even the most basic needs of people who might end up living in those newly completed houses. How many of the potential purchasers of these newbuilds really closely examine what the area has to offer?
Are potential homeowners and likely future residents blinkered by the wonderful weather, the glimmering outdoor swimming pool, the glorious beaches and the facilities in towns like Torrevieja?
How many purchasers research the education provision or investigate the services they may need in the future, when they are considering making Orihuela Costa their permanent residence?
Often, it is only when you are living in an area that the structural and fundamental inadequacies become apparent.
The old saying, ‘prevention is better than a cure’ still has relevance today. Remember, It is better and easier to stop a problem from happening than to stop or correct it after it has started.
Is it not time for the council to look at dredging many of the ramblas/barancas to make them deeper and wider, clearing them of any debris? Maintenance of the Rio Nacimiento in Dehesa De Campoamor needs urgent attention. It needs clearing and cleaning, a task that has been so badly neglected for far too long with mud and overgrowing reeds hindering waterflow. What we seem to have is a “Mexican stand-off” between Orihuela and CHS in determining the responsibility.
We don’t want to see the results when we get hit by the next Dana – so, instead of arguing as to who is responsible, get the job done and then debate.
