Simon Wade
ESSENTIAL safety works to the banks of the River Segura are near completion, after being breached seven months ago by floodwater.
The Olive Press were at the scene when the increasingly-rising and increasingly-powerful river burst its banks downstream of Orihuela, during the gota fria and flooding of Friday, September 13.
Our video shows muddy flood water surging through the El Gabato area, just south of Almoradí.
Google Maps shows the point where the waterway takes a sharp turn to the south, between Orihuela and Almoradí, putting excessive force on the north-side bank, exactly where the river burst through.
Despite the Coronavirus lock-down, the construction of a concrete reinforcement wall is almost completed, providing added safety to thousands of people in the area.
The final stage involves the Segura Hydrographic Confederation (CHS) filling in the void between the remains of the natural riverbank and the new wall.
Heavy rains caused by a gota fria (cold drop) and the subsequent flooding caused devastation through the entire vega baja area in September.
The work in strengthening the weakened river banks are expected to help prevent similar situations when the region suffers from the same situation again.
