The canes have not been the only waste that has filled streets and fields after Dana. In the Albufera natural park and the nearby rice fields and crop areas, plastic tubes, bottles, chemical drums, pieces of detached roofs, car interior parts, and refrigerators have been found. That is what is seen and what dozens of volunteers such as those from the Fundació Assut, or Acció Ecologista-Agró, have begun to remove on weekends.
These solid and voluminous remains are joined by what is not seen and carried by the flood that reached the lagoon, “not comparable to any other flood experienced previously”; less visible waste but also harmful to ecosystems and agricultural production: oils, car gasoline or phytosanitary products… The Devesa-Albufera Service of the Valencia City Council states that In just 24 hours more than 120 Hm2 of water arrived here, between 50 and 70% of what enters the lagoon system in a year.
La Albufera has been a natural park since 86; It is considered the largest freshwater lagoon in Spain (although originally it was more brackish water) and has different types of environmental protection. At the international level, it is part of the List of Wetlands of International Importance RAMSAR and is declared a Site of Community Importance (SCI according to the Habitats Directive) and a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA). In addition to the lagoon, this area on the outskirts of Valencia is made up of areas of marshland, rice fields and dune systems that today are considered to have cushioned the effects of the flood in several locations to the south of the city, such as Saler.
Massanassa and Alfafar in the northern part are considered the most affected areas due to the drag of the Poyo ravine. Carles Sanchis Ibor, researcher at the Valencian Center for Irrigation Studies of the Polytechnic University of Valencia and president of the Governing Board of the Albufera Natural Park explains that “the flooding processes here are natural, but this time it has brought all the pollution.” of the urban and industrial area. We have four types of impacts: The first is due to the arrival of a large amount of water with all types of contaminants and solid material. As there has been a large volume of water, the pollution has been diluted, so this first wave has only destroyed the infrastructure of the Albufera, such as roads and irrigation ditches. Then there is solid waste. Everything has been found: up to 50 kilos of medicines and, they say, that about 12,000 kilos of various materials such as furniture and belongings… There is a third impact of small materials throughout the park, pellets, bottles, which are more complicated to remove because they are widely dispersed. The fourth is the waste from the treatment plants, some have been disabled by Dana and others are still damaged and are not working well.
With the arrival in a rush of water with car oils and other residual liquid materials from the surrounding industrial areas, it is considered that this year’s orchard crops have been lost. Many are still flooded, which is causing air not to reach the roots of the plants. Agroseguro (The Spanish Combined Agricultural Insurance system) began payments yesterday Thursday to farmers affected by Dana in Levante and Andalusia, about 10,000, especially citrus and persimmons in this area. The amount amounts to 13.21 million euros and the affected area is approximately 25,000 hectares. The rice field has been less affected, because the rice had already been removed in September and it is not planted again until spring (although the press highlighted cases of some cooperatives that have lost all the rice they had stored).
Another factor that affects the garden is the loss of fertile soil, a consequence of erosion and a higher incidence of fungal diseases due to humidity. Furthermore, to date the contribution of contaminants to the soil is unknown. «Analysis of sludge and plants is being carried out and we have to wait for what science tells us. There is a suspicion that there may be a high concentration of heavy metals due to the flow of water, but the truth is that we still do not know. If the concentration of toxins is not high, it is likely that it can be planted next season, but for fruit trees, the problem is that the fields are still very waterlogged, which can cause root asphyxiation,” says Helena Cifre, coordinator of the Spanish Society of Organic Agriculture and Agroecology (SEAE). Valencia is one of the CC AA with the most organic farming in Spain.
«Dana has also affected the coastal area, since everything the dragging of solids and pollutants from the mouth of the Turia and the waters of the Poyo ravine that have flowed into the Albufera, have ended up on the southern beaches, causing the accumulation of all types of waste on the coast. This means the contamination of the sand and the deterioration of the dune range, in addition to the impact on all marine fauna and flora such as Posidonia meadows or sea and coastal birds…”, adds Antonio Guillem, responsible for Wetlands. from the Global Nature Foundation.
Unpurified water
The Dana has left several treatment plants affected, which means that untreated or poorly treated sewage is reaching the lagoon. «The lack of operation of these infrastructures can have important consequences such as high levels of contaminants, organic matter, pathogens (bacteria and viruses), nitrates, phosphates and heavy metals affecting water quality and aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Additionally, discharges can infiltrate and contaminate underground aquifers, which are essential sources of drinking water. Apart from the possible damage to public health that comes with exposure to sewage, it can generate bad odors and facilitate the proliferation of pests, such as mosquitoes and rodents. Finally, Nutrients in wastewater, such as nitrates and phosphates, encourage algae growth in rivers and lakes. This process, known as eutrophication, reduces oxygen in the water, affecting aquatic fauna and causing the death of fish and other species,” continues Guillem.
La Albufera is a vulnerable ecosystem subjected to a significant level of eutrophication during the 70s and 80s, but “it was on the road to recovery. There has been a constant improvement in quality since it became a natural park and although it is still not like it was in the 60s, It was considered a conserved ecosystem. The sludge and water are being analyzed and, at the moment, the situation does not seem to be worrying, but it is necessary to invest and repair the damage. We are talking about a serious problem, but not a desperate situation, because it has a solution,” says the president of the Park’s Governing Board, Carles Sanchis Ibor. «Wastewater continues to be poured into the ravine because it has not yet been possible to restore all the purification infrastructure. The accumulation of organic sludge and toxic waste can cause a decrease in oxygen in the water, seriously affecting aquatic fauna and flora. This could generate massive mortality of fish and alter the food chain. It is essential that the competent authorities in the management of the lake continue to implement cleaning measures, continuous monitoring of water quality and have already planned a restoration plan to try to return the ecosystem, at least, if not better, to the previous state before “DANA,” they consider from Global Nature.
Conserve the wetland
The consequences for the natural park depend on how long waste continues to reach it and how long it takes to clean up. However, Valencia does not lose hope of presenting on time, before December 31, its candidacy for the Albufera to be declared a Biosphere Reserve. From Global Nature they comment that “the design of a long-term environmental restoration plan that includes soil recovery, the sanitation of water bodies and the restoration of affected areas” will be key and remember that Well-preserved wetlands have the capacity to store three to five times more CO2 than tropical forests. For its part, the SEAE talks about introducing changes in crops to avoid future problems: “Mosaic landscapes or plant covers and investing in green infrastructure can help alleviate the effects of floods.”
Irrigation losses
More than 250 million euros of damage to irrigation infrastructure. The National Federation of Irrigation Communities of Spain (Fenacore) publishes this week a report that quantifies the damage suffered in the sector by Dana. «Guard houses, control centers, electrical installations, cars, headers and hydrants on the plots have been flooded; and the ditches have broken, which mitigated the floods by acting as artificial channels (drains) and which ended up clogged with mud, reeds, garbage, cars. They estimate that more than 70,000 hectares are flooded, mainly in the Valencian Community, Andalusia and Castilla La Mancha, and maintain that three out of every 10 euros of investment planned for hydraulic works in previous hydrological plans have not been executed, that is, “29.2%.” of hydraulic infrastructures of general interest have not been built, despite having been approved in the different basin plans and having their mandatory reports. A hole of 3,000 million in investment in infrastructure that “would have served to mitigate the terrible consequences of the last floods.
The report «demonstrates the need for projects in the next planning cycle for regulatory works that respond to the cost-benefit principle. Specifically, farmers urge the construction of the 27 dams approved in previous plans. Among the priority actions to mitigate the consequences of future Floods, irrigators consider the cleaning of channels, which involves, among other things, eliminating excessive accumulated sediments and obstructions.