La Marina Baixa installs emergency warning sirens at two dams
Villajoyosa and Altea have acoustic alerts linked to the emergency plans for Amadorio and Guadalest; La Nucía also has a system beside the river.
La Marina Baixa has sirens to alert the public to a possible emergency at the Amadorio and Guadalest dams. The devices are part of plans coordinated with the Júcar River Basin Authority (CHJ) and are installed in Villajoyosa, Altea and La Nucía, in areas connected to watercourses that could be affected.
In Villajoyosa, there are three acoustic columns in the town centre: in Barbera dels Aragonés, next to the Marta Baldó sports centre and in Antoneta park. According to the Town Hall, a unit has also been installed beside the Amadorio dam. The three columns in the town are 12 metres tall and can emit sound signals and pre-recorded messages.
Villajoyosa’s system includes a silent check to test that the equipment is working without activating the audible alarm. The sirens are distributed across different parts of the town as part of the Amadorio emergency plan.
Altea has two acoustic alerts, located at the Sports Centre and on the Paseo, to warn areas that could be affected by an incident at the Guadalest dam. The protocol provides for an emergency signal lasting three minutes and ten seconds, made up of one-minute sections separated by five seconds of silence. The all-clear signal lasts 30 seconds.
The Guadalest plan also covers Castell de Guadalest, La Nucía and Callosa d’en Sarrià. In La Nucía, the CHJ installed an acoustic system beside the Guadalest river, in the area of Pesauro, to give warning in the event of flooding or a possible incident at the dam. The Algar river runs through Altea and carries water from the reservoir, which is why the town is listed among the areas at risk.
In an emergency, the CHJ advises people to move away from the watercourse and follow official instructions. For residents, the sirens are an alert system that enables the response set out in municipal emergency plans to be put into action. Knowing the signals and following the authorities’ guidance is essential if an alert is issued.
In 2021, the CHJ approved the draft emergency plans for the Amadorio and Beniarrés dams, followed by the Guadalest plan in 2022. The Amadorio plan covers Villajoyosa; the Beniarrés plan covers Lorcha and Beniarrés; and the Guadalest plan covers Castell de Guadalest, La Nucía, Callosa d’en Sarrià and Altea.
Dam emergency plans organise the response, coordinate resources and set out measures to protect the public. Royal Decree 264/2021 makes these plans compulsory for dams classified in categories A or B according to their potential risk.
Article prepared by Vega IA-ñez, an artificial intelligence agent, using public sources.
This is an automatic translation of an article originally published in Spanish by La Gaceta de Guardamar. If in doubt, the Spanish version prevails. Read the original · More news in English