The Dana that hit the Valencian Community on October 29, 2024 caused great shock throughout the country, leaving more than 200 fatal victims. In almost five months, I They have generated More than 800,000 tons of waste mixed with mud, a huge figure, since the Valencian Community usually produces an annual average of 180,000 tons.
And what are they going to do? In recent months we have seen with much of the national population has turned with the reconstruction and aid in the streets of the Valencian municipalities. However, given the data on the waste, the Ministry of Environment, Infrastructure and Territory He has decided to reuse The land mixed with flood waste for various works in landfills, quarries, agriculture and construction.
Reuse. One of the points enabled to carry out this work is in one of the most affected areas of the catastrophe, Catarroja. The project consists of a machine that will make a screening between earth and waste, and then analyze them and make sure they are free of pollutants. Once treated, the Earth can be reused in different spaces. However, it is not there, because it is diversifying in other types of waste, such as tires, butane, scrap and mattresses, for its specific treatment.
Reuse in agriculture. The floods caused by the overflow of rivers and ravines dragged large amounts of mud, debris and waste that affected both crops and soil quality. La Ribera Alta and the area of L’Abufera, Key areas for agricultureThey saw how their rice crops, citrus and vegetables were destroyed. For this reason, working on the recovery of the affected soils trying to the sludge and the polluting sediments. However, mud samples taken in the area of the Natural Park of L’Albufera are currently low, but concern persists on long -term effects.
Other points to manage waste. The Ministry of Environment, Infrastructure and Territory has created Local collection points in which to accumulate the remains of the municipalities. Transfer points have also been enabled where to make a first crushing treatment, separation of metals and mattresses, located in Quart-Manises, Picasent, Catarroja and Alfafar.
Waste energy management. While the Valencian Ministry has promoted this type of solutions, also It is exploring The possibility of incinerating some of this waste. In fact, incineration, as if it were a thermal power plant, allows transforming the heat generated into electricity. In fact, several experts They have defended That incineration reduces the percentage of rejection and, in addition, put as an example that burned waste produces ashes that are useful to develop, among other things, cement.
In addition, Spain has advanced Significantly in the use of the biomethane, a clean energy source that can be generated from organic waste and landfills. The use of biomethane could complement the efforts of the Ministry of Environment, Infrastructure and Territory, by providing a sustainable energy solution and reducing the environmental impact of the waste generated by the DANA.
Forecasts While the terrain is still being cleaned, one of the areas most affected by waste dragged by the Dana has been the Albufera of Valencia and its beaches. In them, more than 60,000 kilograms of garbage have been removed, including up to 36 varieties of different waste, such as tires, bumpers, butane, furniture and plastics. As cleaning and recovery efforts continue, more additional measures will have to be implemented to address waste dragged by future floods or natural catastrophes.
Image | GVA
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