The president of the Valencian Government, Carlos Mazón, put the Machine of the Bulos to full performance during his speech in the general policy debate, also doing so in the most irresponsible way possible. Thus, in the block dedicated to the reconstruction of the Dana, he did not hesitate to stir the fear of another episode of torrential rains during this autumn and, incidentally, hold the government in advance accusing him of not having taken a series of measures such as the installation of an early warning system (SAT) in the Júcar basin, something that does not correspond to reality.
According to Mazón, “it is very serious for the central government to recognize now, almost a year later, that the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ) does not have the early alert system (SAT) installed that at least could complement the famous system of automatic hydrological information (SAIH).”
The Chief of the Consell has assured that “Saih himself has shown serious deficiencies to the point of scoring a red alert in the Poyo ravine when the channel was dry” and added that “the Government promised in November 2024 that in six months the SAT would be underway in the Júcar basin that already exists in the Ebro; almost a year later that system does not exist, it remains in administrative process.”
Mazón has commented that “fear is still if it has not increased seeing the neglect of some” and added: “This means that if tomorrow, God does not want it, a Dana is repeated we will continue to be unprotected. The SAT is not operational in the month and a half of fulfilling the anniversary of the Dana. The contract contemplates zero euros by 2025, the investments are postponed to the period between the years between the 20s and Government has said that this system is the only thing that saves lives, that is, they have not launched the only thing that saves lives. ”
Not one of Mazón's claims corresponds to reality. And, the SAT is already in the test phase in what pluviometric data refers and have already been invested through 700,000 euros emergency contracts. Not to mention that Mazón hides once again that all this information must be contrasted with the sending of forest firefighters to the areas with activated hydrological alert competent in civil protection.
In addition, Sources of the CHJ categorically denied that the SAIH activated a red alert due Height data and turned them into flow.
On the other hand, as Eldiario.es reported, the Government of Carlos Mazón took more than 10 months to formalize a contract for a “advanced monitoring and helps the decision of the risks derived from the floods” for the Valencian Agency for Security and Emergency Response. The formalization of the contract was done just three days before the catastrophe day caused by the DANA in several Valencian regions, according to the documentation available in the contracting portal.
SAT situation
According to official Sources of the CHJ, the emergency work for the repair of the damage caused by the DANA in the SAIH Network, launched at the end of last year, included “the implementation of a pilot version of the early alert system (SAT), with the aim of improving the capacity for forecasting before episodes of avenue and floods, focused on the areas most affected by the extraordinary episode of October 29: Magro River, the Poyo basin and the low section of the Turia River, from the mouth of the Busa dam ”.
For all these actions they have already been invested, according to the same sources, 22 million euros through emergency contracts, “of which 700,000 euros correspond to the SAT.” The system is based on the implementation of computer tools that allow real time to integrate weather and hydrological data, improve knowledge about the behavior of rivers and ravines, and optimize the management of reservoirs to increase their lamination capacity.
In this sense, “the CHJ is currently immersed in the development of different predictive modules, both meteorological and hydrological, with the support of information provided by the State Meteorology Agency (AEMET) and the Valencian Association of Meteorology (AVAMET), as well as by models developed by the Center for Hydraulic Engineering of the United States Engineers (HEC-HMS) and the Institute of Water Engineering and Environment of the University of Water Valencia Polytechnic ”. All this data set is integrating “on the Delft-FEWS platform”, in order to create an operational viewfinder that facilitates the anticipation of decision making.
The pluviometric data management module is very advanced for the entire Júcar demarcation. In fact, “these pluviometric models are currently in a state of testing for rainfall episodes”, while the flow estimation module is “in a state of development for the basins most affected by the Dana.”
This pilot version of the SAT “is going to be extended to a comprehensive system that will cover the entire demarcation of the Júcar with the contract that a week ago entered into the tender phase, worth 1.6 million euros, and that will allow to have these predictive models for all basins and for the management of the reservoirs that are owned by the State”.
The contract will last 3 years to be able to exploit the system and give associated information, but that does not mean that it will not be operational until that date. In fact, the pluviometric data management module will be integrated into the short -term system and it is planned to implement the operation of the flow estimation modules progressively, in the different basins, as they are completed.
Since the CHJ have stressed that “in the Mediterranean basins, these models are of great complexity, given the speed of hydrological response of their channels and ravines, a light growing type, which means a high degree of uncertainty.” It should be remembered that the first systems of this type were developed in the axes of the great rivers: “Ebro, Tajo and Guadalquivir, with slower growing, that allow a longer response time. However, it is important to point out that the information offered by this type of SAT systems in no case replaces the competent bodies in emergencies or issue civil protection alerts by themselves”.