Re-wilding the Vinalopó river
A REPORT on proposed measures to restore the River Vinalopó and progress towards a plan to carry them out has been presented by the regional government.
Councillor for ecological transition Mireia Mollà called it ‘an unprecedented social and political pact to revitalise the river’.
Mayor of Elche Carlos Gonzélez said it was the first diagnosis of the river’s situation in many years, and ‘offers a comprehensive view of its problems’. He noted that much of what affects the Vinalopó is a consequence of human activity along its route, and emphasised the need to ‘take brave decisions that attack the causes of overexploitation and the environmental problems which this lung of the city suffers’.
The document presented in Elche last week was the fruit of an agreement with the regional department and the public works study and experimentation centre (CEDEX) a year ago. To draw up the action plan, the report’s recommendations will be analysed and scheduled by a committee that is to be set up, including town halls, the Jucar river authority (CHJ) and the ministry for ecological transition.
Their conclusions will also take reports from Valencia and Alicante universities into account, and set out a roadmap for the different administrations to take joint action.
Sra Mollà assured the report ‘gets to the root of the problem’, which includes colonisation of invasive species, flytipping, ‘imbalance’ in the management of the underground water space and occupation of natural spaces.
It includes five objectives and 15 proposals, notably defining the environmental flow that is required for the measures to successfully improve the ecosystem of the river.
This is directly related to a review of water-use concessions and the ratio between how much is available and how much has been allocated.
Some measures will be funded by the regional government but it is also hoped to obtain EU reconstruction funds.
The report emphasises all the agencies involved ‘are responsible for restoring and
maintaining this essential resource for the social-economic activity of the Vinalopó area and the whole Valencia region’.
Elche environment councillor Esther Díez noted that the council’s bid for European Green capital in 2030 highlights the municipality’s centuries of
efficient management of water resources. Her department has been working on restoring the whole channel for two terms of office now, including the grand reservoir path project, which this year they hope to extend to the south along the river.