13 Sep, 2019 @ 21:04
1 min read

Report reveals dangerous flooding in Spain will become MORE frequent in Valencia, Cadiz and Alicante thanks to climate change and reckless real estate development

CADIZ is one of the provinces most likely to experience devastating floods every 10 years in Spain. 

According to a new report by the Observatory of Sustainability (OS), it joins Gerona, Barcelona and Valencia in being one of the most flood-risk regions in the country.

The report, referencing the Insurance Compensation Consortium, estimates that flooding costs Spain around €800 million per year, while the worldwide cost is a staggering €90 billion.

The OS warns that these figures will continue to rise due to economic growth, urbanisation processes and climate change.

“In Spain it is the natural catastrophe that generates the most damage,” it said.

The human risk has been exacerbated by the rapid and intense development of coastal urbanisations in the latter half of the 20th century.

The report laments how many of the properties have been built in flood plains, making their residents ‘vulnerable’.

The OS study shows that on the warmer coasts, most of the artificial areas at risk of flooding are a consequence of construction driven by the real estate tourism sector, while on the north coasts, high-risk areas are in historic urban areas which are ‘much more consolidated’.

In total, the report estimates that 2.35% of the coast of peninsular Spain and the Balearic Islands is at risk of floods every 10 years.

Valencia is the province with the ‘greatest risk of flood impact’ on human populated surfaces.

By municipalities, the 15 most at risk of flooding are: Isla Cristina- Ayamonte (Huelva), Palmones-Guadarranque (Cádiz), Bajo Guadalhorce (Málaga), Bajo Andarax (Almería), Cartagena (Murcia), San Javier-Los Alcázares (Murcia), Marina Alta Coast (Alicante), Gandía-Oliva (Valencia), Alaquas-Catarroja (Valencia), Vinaroz-Peñíscola (Castellón), Empuribrava-Santa Margarida (Girona), Palma de Mallorca (Baleares), Gijón (Asturias), Bajo Urumea (Guipúzcoa).

The OS has recommended ‘immediately’ notifying residents in the at risk areas of how vulnerable their properties may be to flooding.

It also advised maintaining a rapid alert network to avoid fatalities.

It went on to demand ‘proper management’ of the at-risk territory, saying it is advisable to avoid the growth of urban centres towards areas where the risk of catastrophic flooding is significant.

It comes as Alicante and the Costa Blanca have seen biblical flooding this week.

At least four have been killed in the region after the weather phenomenon known as gota fria unleashed record amounts of rainfall.

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

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