After the fire in Las Peñas de Riglos was brought under control during the afternoon of this Friday and the last evicted residents were able to return to their homes, the Government of Aragón, together with Civil Protection, are working to guarantee the supply of water in the affected towns. Technicians from the Aragonese Water Institute (IAA) have visited Atarés, Osia and Centenero in recent days, together with municipal technicians, to learn on the ground about the state of the infrastructures and determine the necessary actions.
As a first action, the IAA is being used to provide interim solutions where they are needed, such as drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) and portable chlorinators, with the aim of guaranteeing supply while the affected infrastructures are recovered. The Institute already has the reports prepared by the regions of La Jacetania and Hoya de Huesca, as well as the results of the first analyses carried out, which will guide the following actions.
In Atarés, the fire has affected the area of one of the catchments and a water pipe. The IAA will collaborate with the Jaca City Council in its recovery, which will have its own brigades and will provide machinery and materials to carry out the work. In Osia, technicians have identified damage to different elements of the supply infrastructure. It will be necessary to wait until the pond can be emptied to determine the full extent of the damage. In the meantime, the IAA will carry out an initial economic estimate to determine the necessary action and the most appropriate formula to carry it out.
In Centenero, the Institute’s technicians have also carried out an initial assessment of the damage. During the next week, the IAA technicians will continue with the visits to the municipalities that are pending, at the request of the regions of La Jacetania and Hoya de Huesca. They will also travel to Anzánigo, a nucleus belonging to the municipality of Caldearenas and the only affected municipality in the Alto Gállego region.
On the other hand, the General Directorate of Environmental Quality – also under the Department of Environment and Tourism – has been monitoring air quality in Jaca in recent days using the measuring equipment installed during the fire. The parameters recorded have been kept within adequate values and no levels harmful to health have been detected at any time.
