By river channels

1994/03/01 Estonba Mintxero, Mikel Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena

Knowing in recent days the damage caused by the floods and their deaths throughout Europe, I have come to the forefront with more force than ever the policy of the rivers that is being carried out in Euskal Herria for a long time.

Due to the geomorphological characteristics of Euskal Herria, human refineries have traditionally been developed in valley areas. However, this phenomenon has intensified at the end of this century, because the rapid and unplanned process of industrialization we have experienced has led to the massive occupation of our rivers and banks. For these actions and to avoid the entry of water, our rivers have had some wild canalizations that have been carried out without any ecological consideration.

We cannot forget that from an ecological point of view the river cannot be separated from the forests of its banks, which are, among other things, the main source of food for aquatic living beings. However, its importance is not limited to becoming a source of food, since in these ecosystems riverside forests play other important functions such as obtaining atmospheric nitrogen, riverbank fixation capacity, the appearance of species of low tolerance to temperature changes, the facilitation of the abundance of aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate species and a greater purification capacity compared to pollutants.

If you take into account everything mentioned above, anyone will understand that it is difficult to work on the recovery of our rivers and streams if in these works the recovery of the margins is abandoned. The purification work that is being promoted, if not carried out in parallel to the recovery of the natural structure, will only get the water to go clean, but will never recover the life of our rivers and streams.

For although it is not so difficult to understand, it seems that for those responsible for our institutions it is incredible. And it is that, far from fully dispensing with the policy of river channels, they are being driven with desire.

The main argument they often use to defend this policy is that the pipes protect us from flooding. But water overflows in several municipalities with their rivers fully channeled have shown that the reality is different.

In this sense, ecology has a lot to do; if the river has conserved the forests of its banks and the river grounds, a large amount of water will be absorbed during the flood season, decreasing the amount of water flowing downstream through the vegetation of the margins. A concrete wall can never fulfill this important role of the plants, so that the water moves downwards, increasing the effect of the flood.

Also, we must not forget that if the current floods cause greater damage than ever, it is directly related to the strong deforestation that has occurred in our forests in recent years. That's why the first work that would have to be done to fight floods, I think it would be serious reforestation planning.

However, in the organizations predominates the mentality of an engineer who has not taken into account the ecological vision, and so far it has been useless all the work done by our political representatives to use more original, effective and environmentally friendly ways than channeling.

Meanwhile, many of the stretches of our rivers and streams have been channeled, making their recovery increasingly difficult.

If you know a river that has maintained its natural structure, go as soon as possible to enjoy the freshness of its alisedas and its clean and alive waters, which will not last long.