214. Two weeks after DANA devastated the province of Valencia, if there is one piece of information that will help understand the extent of the devastation, it is this: 214. The number of deaths. And considering there are still over thirty missing persons nationally, this is probably not a closed balance. However, the cold decline brings with it other balances. Tragic too. The heavy rainfall severely affected the infrastructure, transport, economy and natural environment of the Valencian Community. It is so severe that there are already fears of its impact on Albufera and the rice fields, two major icons of the region.

It is the other effect of DANA.

“50-year-old poisoned rice?” This statement belongs to Eva Tudela from Acció Ecologista-Agró, who shared on RTVE a few days ago her concern about the impact of DANA on the Albufera Natural Park and rice fields. Their fears stem less from the direct consequences of the cold snap and more from the domino effect that could be created by the devastation left by the flood. The basic question is quite simple: Where did the tons of waste washed away by floods go? So what effects will they have if they are not removed?

These are not strange questions, considering that the Poyo valley, famous as a result of DANA, flows into Albufera. And it does this both with water and with the waste that the flood carries in its path. “The overflow from the stream bed has washed away millions of kilos of plastic scattered across the rice fields and Albufera, and at some point they will have to be removed. Otherwise, farmers will work in the fields and incorporate them into farmland. Tudela had earlier warned, skipping a question: “Next year Our rice will be grown here. “Are we going to be poisoned by plastic for 50 years?”

“Full of plastic and other waste”. This statement once again comes from Tudela. Tudela tells RTVE that when he and his colleagues went to the area to help clear the ditches, they encountered a worrying sight. “La Albufera is full of plastics and other more toxic waste from vehicle fuels, coolants, brake fluids, medicine containers… Everything is floating in the water.” He’s not the only one warning about DANA’s legacy.

Biologist Javier Jiménez, who has been working in the wetland for two decades, spoke directly about the “environmental disaster” in SER last week. “This requires a reset of the nature park.” In the background is the concern shared by Tudela: Plastics and other waste were washed away by the heavy rains last October 29. “We need to reconstruct a landfill, we have a huge job ahead of us here,” the expert summarized.

Another biologist, Miguel Rodilla Alamá from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), warned Europa Press days ago about polluting liquids leaking from cars or factories; these are “the most serious, although not detectable,” he warned. Rodilla also noted other important aspects: Albufera’s loss of size due to destruction of terraces by runoff, in addition to the “huge contribution” of the mud reaching the wetland, which is “increasingly shallower.”

Challenges of wastewater treatment plants. There would be another key. DANA didn’t just drag mud, plastic and garbage onto its path. As far as I remember recently Country It also affected the treatment network. By the middle of last week, half of the systems in the province of Valencia were still out of use, meaning they were unable to stop sewage and city water from flowing into Júcar or Turia.

newspaper today Levant The Ministry of Ecological Transition updated the data based on data from the Provincial Assembly and the Generalitat: although there were 96 treatment plants operational yesterday, there are still a dozen partially operating and 13 have been demolished. Moreover, there are three that need to be completely rebuilt. Officials estimate that the transported sludge has affected the sewers of more than thirty towns.

Impact on agriculture. Rice fields stand out due to their importance in the region, and as the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation itself recalls, approximately 15,000 hectares of Albufera’s 21,000 hectares are occupied by rice fields. But they aren’t the only farms taking a closer look at DANA’s effects. Already on October 30, just 24 hours after the downpour on the 29th, farmers showed fears of multi-million dollar losses of their crops, including “thousands” of hectares devoted to citrus and date plantations.

Heavy rain also negatively affected some parts of Castile-La Mancha and Andalusia; This led the Ministry of Agriculture to announce more than 440 million euros in aid to help affected farmers and ranchers. In the case of rice fields in Catalonia and Valencia, Cooperativas Agro-Alimentarias explained to the Efe agency that production was not affected because the harvest “has already ended”. As Eva Tudela points out on RTVE, the key will be in the garbage that reaches irrigated fields after the passage of DANA.

“It’s still early”. There are also voices urging waiting before assessing DANA’s environmental impact on the wetland. Among them, Ignacio Moncho of the Assut Foundation, reminded in the middle of last week that it was too early to talk “definitely” about short- or long-term results.

“The real impact that could happen, more than water quality and environmental impacts, is the large contribution of incoming waste.” Officials are also monitoring the impact of the cold snap. The public wastewater sanitation authority plans to carry out inspections at 1,300 facilities to control discharges and possible contamination risks, and the Ministry of Ecological Transition is also carrying out water analyses.

Pictures | ESA Earth Observation (X) and Juan Antonio Durán Corpas (Flickr)

in Xataka | DANA left thousands of Valencians without coverage or connection. We already know how to compensate for these.