The request followed a meeting held last Thursday with technicians from the Confederation of the Segura Hydrographic (CHS) to address concerns about waste accumulation in the riverbed as it passes through Orihuela.

As the City Council explained in a statement, during the meeting, CHS technicians reported that inspections in various river sections revealed a lack of floating barriers in some upstream municipalities. According to the Orihuela council, this situation causes a large amount of waste to reach Orihuela, overwhelming the barriers installed within the municipal area and directly affecting both irrigation intake channels and the traditional irrigation system of the surrounding farmlands.

The Environment Councilor stated that Orihuela “cannot solely bear a problem generated by the lack of floating barriers in other municipalities”. Grao emphasized the need for effective containment measures along all stretches of the river to prevent waste from reaching the riverbed and overwhelming the barriers in Orihuela.

The City Council has also warned that the arrival of waste poses a particularly serious problem during rainfall or periods of increased river flow, when waste accumulation intensifies.