The full council meeting (pleno) of Dénia Town Hall has unanimously approved, on a provisional basis, the Plan de Acción frente al Riesgo de Inundaciones (flood risk action plan), La Marina Plaza reports.
The document was prepared by the town hall's environment department (Medio Ambiente) together with the Local Police and the planning department (Urbanismo). It was presented by Sandra Gertrúdix, councillor for the environment. The plan aims to organise the necessary measures, reduce damage, better protect people and their homes, improve infrastructure and strengthen readiness for heavy rain.
Dénia already has a Plan de Actuación Municipal frente al riesgo de inundaciones, which sets out how the town responds in an emergency. The new plan provides for planning interventions, identifying priority works and preparing projects to attract funding. Ms Gertrúdix said it will not remove the risk of flooding entirely.
The councillor linked the need for the plan to recent weather events and climate change. She also pointed to the town's vulnerability: it has many ravines (barrancos) and a lot of low-lying and built-up land that used to absorb and drain water better.
DANA Adam (a cut-off low bringing torrential rain) hit the Marina Alta and Safor areas hardest on 18-19 October. It caused serious flooding and many rescue operations, with the worst effects in the north of Alicante province and the south of Valencia province. In Dénia, the greatest damage was recorded around the River Girona and on les Deveses and l'Almadrava beaches.
The current approval is provisional and is seen as the start of a process of refining the measures and setting priorities. Ms Gertrúdix believes this groundwork should make it easier to secure funding for larger works. The report gives no list of specific works, no budget and no timetable.