The proverb says that misfortunes never come alone. In Ourense they are proving it in the worst of ways. In summer there were towns there that had to do with forest fires that devoured hectares, burning trees, destroying farms and even (in some cases) destroying houses. Now those same localities are with the ‘hangover’ of the fire: tons of ashes and charred remains that rain washes downhill, forming a dark sludge that threatens (or is already affecting) rivers and water supplies.
There are those who even talk about “mountain chapapote”in reference to another unfortunate episode that Galicia had to experience, years ago, on behalf of the Prestige.
What has happened? That the residents of the province of Ourense who suffered this summer forest fires They have encountered a new problem, one inherited from those fires and that (they regret) no institution has known how to tackle in time: the ash. During the last months, spare in rainswere not a big problem, but things have changed with the storms and downpours. What was once ashes, branches and charred trunks is now a threat.
The most curious (or tragic) thing is that if forest fires are not a novelty in Galicia, neither are they the problems generated by its ashes and sediments.
Why’s that? Because the rains wash away this charred ‘heritage’, creating sludge and a threat to the rivers and springs from which the towns are supplied. I described it graphically a few days ago the mayor of O Barco de Valdeorras, Aurentino Alonso, when talking about the situation of the Sil River: “Pure chocolate is going down.”
Last week when spoke with Europa Pressthe core of his town was weathering the situation because it draws on a water source that was not affected by the fire. That doesn’t mean he’s calm. Neither him nor the rest of the neighbors.
If at any time that water supply fails, they will have to pump from the Sil, a river that, Alonso recalls, has been affected upstream by the fires. “We would have a huge problem if the recruitment fails.” In other parts of the region the situation is even worse. Last week the councilor of O Barco assured that there are already several centers there that suffer “problems” because they are not connected to the urban network and are supplied directly from the streams.
Are there more affected? Yes. In Vilamartín de Valdeorras They report a similar problem. Its mayor, Enrique Barreiro, explains that after the rains of recent weeks there are areas of the municipality that have been left without water for two, three and even four hours. When the supply returns, it also does so in conditions that complicate its domestic use. Basically, the same concern: how the drags affect the supply or even the risk of them causing collapses.
“We are afraid of what could happen to the river beds, which will not be prepared to withstand the amount of water that will come down the ravines,” warns the mayor. The situation is also followed with expectation from other points, such as neighboring A Gudiña and other towns that have already made a move.
And how do they respond? The first councilor of Chandrexa de Queixa explains, for example, that springs have been corrected and “straw fences” set up so that, in the event that the rains wash away remains of forest fires, they do not reach the springs. It is not so much that there are problems with the water as a matter of caution. “We have to prevent it before it happens, it can happen.”
For the same reason, the City Council has decided to store 2,000 two-liter bottles of water and in O Barco de Valdeorras they have offered residents fountains and drawers with taps, in addition to mobilizing vans with jugs.
In A Gudiña they also clarify that they are constantly controlling the supply, with “morning and afternoon” analysis to ensure that if at any time the water presents “some turbidity” it can be transferred from the springs to pumping from wells. The effect of the trails of ashes and mud carried by the rains, the “chapapote de monte”, as the Platform for a Galician Mountain with a Future called it, is worrying. a report recent posted by The Country.
In it he says, for example, that there are villages that have seen how their water supply has not been drinkable for days. Or that in A Rúa bottles are being distributed and a pavilion has been set up so that affected families can shower.
Why has it not been planned? That’s the key. The councilors not only explain what they are doing to address the situation. Some they regret also that the Xunta de Galicia and the Miño-Sil Hydrographic Confederation are doing a small part of “what they should” and they miss greater and better coordination between administrations to deal with issues such as supply or collapses. Both the regional and state governments defend that they have not sat idly by, mobilizing brigades and distributing straw to avoid drag.
In the background, however, there is an intersection of competencies. As relates The Countrythe Xunta alleges that the protection of rivers depends on the central government. However, the Miño-Sil Hydrographic Confederation responds that it cannot act in the surrounding mountains. The reason: they would step on a competition that is in the hands of the Xunta. The organization remembers that there are other responsibilities, related to the supply, which depend on local administrations or the Xunta.
Is that a problem? It has certainly given rise to a political brawl, as made it clear Yesterday the Galician leader, Alfonso Rueda, accused the organizations that depend on Madrid of being “especially slow” when it comes to “reacting” to “prevent damage.” “We will help and act, but each one has to fulfill their obligations and the Xunta is doing it,” Rueda insists.
Meanwhile, environmentalists warn of the risk posed by trawling in areas burned by the fire: “The splash from the mountain comes downstream, dirtying the springs and river ecosystems; it will reach the mouth of the Miño and the ‘Christmas currents’ will spread the pollution through the estuaries and the Atlantic.”
Images | Xunta de Galicia 1 and 2
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