Council says missing floating barriers upstream are sending rubbish into Orihuela and threatening the historic irrigation system
ORIHUELA — Orihuela City Council has called for urgent measures to stop waste building up in the River Segura as it passes through the municipality.
The request follows a meeting held on Wednesday between Orihuela’s environment councillor, Noelia Grao, the judge of the Privative Water Court of Orihuela, José Bernabé, and technicians from the Segura Hydrographic Confederation.
During the meeting, both local institutions raised concerns about the growing accumulation of rubbish in the riverbed. Inspections carried out along different stretches of the Segura have detected a lack of floating waste barriers in some upstream municipalities.
According to Orihuela officials, this means large amounts of rubbish are being carried downstream into the municipality, overwhelming the barriers already installed in Orihuela and directly affecting the intake points of the irrigation channels.
The council warned that the problem is especially serious during periods of rain or increased river flow, when the volume of waste reaching Orihuela rises significantly.
Grao said Orihuela cannot be expected to deal alone with a problem caused by the lack of floating barriers in other municipalities.
“Effective containment measures are needed along all stretches of the river to prevent waste from ending up in our section and saturating the barriers installed in Orihuela,” she said.
The councillor added that the issue is not only environmental but also affects the functioning of the irrigation channels and the traditional watering system of the Orihuela huerta, which forms part of the municipality’s heritage.
Bernabé also warned that the build-up of rubbish is making it harder for traditional water intakes and hydraulic infrastructure to operate properly.
He called for “an effective and permanent solution” to protect both the River Segura and the historic irrigation system of the Vega Baja.
Orihuela City Council and the Privative Water Court have now asked the Segura Hydrographic Confederation to study urgent measures to reinforce the installation of floating barriers and waste-retention systems in upstream municipalities.
The aim is to prevent waste from being carried downstream and accumulating in Orihuela, where officials say the river and the traditional irrigation network are increasingly under pressure.
