The fishing community of Catarroja expresses its concern about the state of the Port, stating that “there is not a single fish in the Port's irrigation ditch.” Although they do not rely on fishing for their livelihood, their concern for l'Albufera and its surroundings is constant. They point out that, while discharges of dirty water are not new, especially after rains, this time the situation is more persistent.
Recent discharges have remained longer than usual, forcing fish to move towards l'Albufera in search of cleaner waters. This situation occurs despite the Favara irrigation ditch having been releasing water to try and clear the dirt. According to experts, these discharges cause anoxia, meaning a lack of oxygen in the water, a phenomenon similar to what happens when rice straw rots in the fields, which explains the flight of fauna.
“"Everything dies here and nobody does anything. They only come to clean when there are events to celebrate."
The little aquatic life remaining in the canal is limited to turtles and some ducks with their young, swimming above a clearly visible layer of dirt. A spokesperson for the fishermen's guild indicated that they reported the discharges two weeks ago and that, although the situation already occurred before the DANA (cold drop), it is now “happening continuously.” The damage to Catarroja's urban sewage network, valued at over 70 million euros, is directly related to this problem.
Both the local council and the Generalitat acted promptly once they became aware of the situation. The council used cameras to locate the leak and has commissioned an audit to identify the source of the discharges, which is centered on the collapse of part of a canalization wall. This causes overflows when there is excessive rainwater, although it is clarified that this is not due to the DANA.
Veteran fishermen, who know the Port and l'Albufera perfectly, lament that “everything dies here” and that pollution has been present for decades. One of them, who had eel nurseries, lost over a hundred due to anoxia. Another recounted that in a sport fishing competition, 18 people did not catch a single fish in eight hours. The dirt is such that, they explain, some customers have refused to board boats for a ride.
In addition to the discharges, fishermen face the problem of boats getting stranded in certain areas of the lake, especially at the mouth of the Poyo ravine, where sediments dragged by the flood still accumulate. They warn that “you cannot trust it, you have to know very well where you are navigating because there may be debris at the bottom and the water level is not sufficient.”
Nevertheless, there is a project by the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation for the ecological restoration of the ravine between the V-31 and l'Albufera. This project contemplates lowering elevations in the embankments without widening the channel, with gentler banks and a transition filter between the rice fields and the ravine, seeking to reduce flooding and make the action compatible with cultivation.
