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Águilas boosts flood defences with new water pumps
After the destruction of DANA this year in Valencia the government are preparing themselves for future storms by buying pumps
Councillor Jose Luis Moreno has announced that the Municipal Civil Protection Service in Águilas has invested in upgrading and improving the equipment used in emergency situations like storms, such as the DANA that devastated Valencia and claimed hundreds of lives back in October.
Following the DANA tragedy, it came to light that more than half a million residents of Murcia and Alicante live in flood-prone areas, and this has prompted the authorities in Águilas into action. The new equipment will serve to ensure the safety of the residents of the coastal town in case of an emergency flood.
The improvement to the equipment has come in the form of the acquisition of two pumps. One of the pumps would be used to pump out dirty water from flooded areas at a rate of 50,000 litres per hour. This kind of pump is extremely useful in the case of storms where mud has been disturbed by the flooding, and the water that is to be extracted is dirty water.
The second pump that has been bought by the Council to improve the safety of the area in case of a flood, is the type of pump that can be easily carried on a trailer. This piece of equipment is used to clear mud through a lance at 25 bars of pressure with a flow rate of 60,000 litres per hour. The clearance of mud and dirt is specifically useful in an emergency where water is rising as dirt and debris add to the difficulty of a rescue operation.
Last month, the local government unveiled the draft of its brand new ‘Flood Prevention Plan’. This project aims to carry out a comprehensive study of the watersheds that run through the historic old town of Águilas, with the aim of identifying and mitigating flood risks.
Crucially, the pumps can also be used to put out small forest fires, as per the municipality's INFOMUR plan, thanks to another water tank with a capacity of 1,000 litres which is connected to the pumps. This is especially important during the hot, dry summer months and is one small improvement that could save many lives.
The new purchases that the town of Águilas has made will go a long way to helping improve the safety of the citizens in case of a flood or a fire.
At the same time, the Council of Ministers has approved an investment of 30 million euros for the construction of a new waste water treatment plant in Águilas.
Mayor Moreno announced the news of the additional sewage treatment plant alongside a new outfall pipe: “Águilas has a very old treatment plant, which has become too small for both the present and the future of our town and this important investment was necessary to build a new treatment plant in the municipality of Águilas.”
The Council of Ministers has authorised a new amendment to the Direct Management Agreement of the state-owned company Aguas de las Cuencas de España (ACUAES), which includes the incorporation of new actions with an investment of 752 million euros.
The amendment will allow for the development of 15 new developments, 10 related to wastewater treatment and purification, involving an investment of 422 million euros, four for water supply, which will cost 300 million euros, and finally, one action for the reuse of waste water.
In the wider Region of Murcia, work will be carried out on the extension of the Murcia-East WWTP (84 million euros); the extension of the Mar Menor South WWTP and new tertiary treatment (7 million euros); the extension of the Cabezo Beaza WWTP for the implementation of tertiary treatment (12 million euros), both in Cartagena, and finally, the new Águilas WWTP and outfall (30 million euros).
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Images: Ayuntamiento de Águilas
