A total of 51 million euros is what the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition foresees to allocate to the areas affected by the last large fires in the Valencian Community. Yesterday afternoon, the area minister, Mireia Mollà, met with the mayors of the municipalities affected by the fire that started in the Vall d'Ebo with the intention of communicating the most immediate action plans and those that can be develop after a reasonable time.
The first million euros "immediate"
In the first place, 1.000.000 euros will be allocated "immediately" to preferential post-fire actions that are aimed at "guaranteeing the safety of people", commented the minister. These are the protection and adaptation of the roads, especially in "areas of high slope of more than 35º".
In these lands, the shrubby species can remain on the borders of highways and roads in the affected area and can pose a serious danger with rains or strong winds. With these intense meteorological phenomena, land displacements or landslides of the burned wood could occur, which could cause a danger for the residents and users of these roads.
Secondly, Mollà advanced that the City Councils will be able to have the necessary technical documents that accredit them to remove the bushy forest mass from the fire and proceed to its use.
Pull European funds for environmental restoration
The rest of the financing, the remaining 50 million promised, is expected to be available from the provision of European funds. Both Begís and Vall d'Ebo will count on them in the future to dedicate them to the environmental restoration of the burned area. These will be assigned based on the areas or forest hectares burned, therefore, the budget could be around 15 million for Ebo and 35 for Begís.
The final objective of the funds is the "environmental restoration that usually begins two years or two and a half years after the fire", after a reasonable time. However, Mollà stated that in rainy areas such as Ebo, restoration could begin earlier. "The abundant water that comes with the DANAS could damage the land and erode it, something that would put the displacement of land at risk." But, on the other hand, the councilor contemplated that if these rains did not cause damage, they could be beneficial to recover the land "in better conditions, since water is a fundamental element for the recovery of nature," she insisted.
40 million more for the forestry cooperation fund
Mollà made another proposed proposal. These are the forestry cooperation funds that will be defined within the 2023 budget. "It is a replica of the municipal cooperation fund, which will be endowed with 40 million from the Generalitat and which is complemented by the Provincial Councils. Unfortunately, here in Alicante there is no the will on the part of the Diputación of this complementation", he added.
In this new forest cooperation plan, the funds will be distributed based on the forest area of each municipality of the Valencian Community. "Something that will benefit the towns and rural areas that have more land than the big cities," specified the minister. The amount will be delivered directly to the town so that it manages its own local plan against forest fires.
"In this legislature we have managed to get 80% of the towns in the Community to have their plans approved. We started with 61 and now we have 401 approved. We have very well planned for the Valencian forest land and, therefore, what the municipalities need are resources to be able to execute it", concluded Mollà.