· The study “recovers the possibility of connecting the river with the sea through an ecological flow that recovers flora and fauna”, said Bernabé
· The government delegate has presented the document together with the president of the CHJ
· In 2023, the CHJ invested €11M to recover more than 10km of channels, “data that shows the commitment of the Government”
The delegate of the Government in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé, together with the president of the Hydrographic Confederation of Júcar, Miguel Polo, has presented the preliminary study of river connectivity in the new riverbed of the Turia River with which progress is made in its naturalization “to recover biodiversity in the metropolitan environment” of València.
According to the delegate, in this study “the possibility of reconnecting the river with the sea is restored, providing it with an ecological flow that helps recover species of flora and fauna”. In the document, we analyze “what to do to make the Turia a living river in the part of the new riverbed”, an infrastructure, which arises after the flood of 57 and the South Plan, and “which denatured the last 12 kilometers of the Turia riverbed by diverting it to the south of the Valencian capital”.
This action, said Bernabé, is “a sign of the government’s evident commitment to the sustainability and naturalization of the channels”. The Government of Spain, he added, “works for the integration of the channels in the cities”.
In this line, he recalled that “it is significant” the investment that is being made in the field of river restoration. Thus, the Segura River, as it passes through Alicante, has received investments of more than 25 M€ since 2019 in the maintenance of channels and infrastructures.
As for the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation, “each kilometre of restored river represents about 1 M€ of investment”, said Bernabé. According to its data, the Confederation of Júcar has invested in 2023, 11 M€ to recover more than 10 kilometers of waterways, “data that show the commitment of the Government”. In this line, he also highlighted the actions in the Serpis River as it passes through Gandia that have a committed investment of €1.5M to “return the river to its natural state, respecting the native plant species that inhabit the riverbed and that are necessary to reduce the power of the river before large avenues”.
The event was attended by members of the government team of the municipalities of Paterna, Riba-roja, Quart de Poblet, Mislata, Vilamarxant and Manises.