Asaja Alicante has demanded that the Spanish Government demolish the jetty at Guardamar del Segura due to its detrimental position which is said to cause a ‘blocking’ effect with river sediments. This issue prevents natural runoff to the sea during heavy rainfall and increases the risk of severe flooding across the Vega Baja area, affecting towns such as San Fulgencio, Dolores, Almoradí, Rojales, and Guardamar.

The agricultural association stresses the urgency of a structural solution, especially in light of recent extreme weather events, including the torrential rain that struck the region in two thousand nineteen and the Valencia area in two thousand twenty-four. Although dredging of the old riverbed is set to begin in October, Asaja argues that the jetty’s orientation will fail to resolve sediment accumulation issues, which compromise the river’s drainage capacity.

Asaja has pointed out that despite prior warnings from the Centro de Estudios y Experimentación de Obras Públicas dating back to nineteen eighty-seven, regarding the negative impact of the jetty on sediment transport, the construction proceeded without intervention. This construction, completed between nineteen ninety and nineteen ninety-four, further complicated the situation with a length of five hundred metres that runs contrary to the natural flow of the Mediterranean.

With ongoing agricultural challenges, Asaja highlights the continuous uncertainty faced by farmers following the devastating rains of two thousand nineteen. They urge immediate political action to address both the jetty’s curvature and the poor state of the riverbed, which has become blocked by invasive plants and sediments due to inadequate maintenance. Asaja maintains that systemic solutions are essential for the security and sustainability of the region’s agriculture.