The Mayor of Alzira, Alfons Domínguez, participated last Tuesday in Madrid in the Annual citiES 2030 Meeting, a national platform promoted by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, along with the Spanish Office for Climate Change. The event took place within the framework of the European Union's Cities Mission and Adaptation Mission.
During his intervention, the mayor presented the city's Urban Agenda for Reconstruction, alongside the City Council of Riba-roja de Túria. Projects underway in Alzira to recover infrastructure damaged by storms and simultaneously prepare the city for flood risk were discussed. These actions include the reconstruction of the Cabanyes bridge, the relocation of Camí del Barranc de la Casella or the Pérez Puig sports pavilion, and the repair of roofs in educational centers and the Palau.
Issues concerning runoff problems around La Muntanyeta, the permeabilization of squares and school areas to increase infiltration capacity, the expansion of barranco sections, and the improvement of collector gates were also addressed. The latter serve a dual purpose: to evacuate intense rainfall with greater guarantees and prevent river water from entering the city. Furthermore, projects for urban sponging with new green areas are planned to facilitate water infiltration into the ground.
These actions, financed with FEDER funds, align with an adaptation approach based on blue infrastructure (preparing for flood risk) and green infrastructure (mitigating climate change effects). In total, Alzira has mobilized over 45 million euros from various state and European lines, including funds from the Ministry of Territorial Policy, the European Union Solidarity Fund, FEDER funds, and MITECO.
The management of these funds has necessitated the creation of a specific working team to coordinate files and meet deadlines. The priority objective has been to ensure that not a single euro designated for Alzira's reconstruction is lost due to administrative reasons. Mayor Alfons Domínguez stated, “it is not about returning to where we were, but about doing it better.” He thanked the Ministry for its willingness to rebuild infrastructure in more suitable and secure locations and emphasized the importance of citizen preparedness and protection against risk.
