The mayor of Talavera de la Reina, José Julián Gregorio, has pointed out that the Tajo River continues to decrease its flow, reaching 960 cubic meters this Tuesday, so it is expected that this downward trend will continue in the coming days until the situation of the Tajo River is fully normalized.
This statement comes after a meeting held with the Local Operational Coordination Center (Cecopal) and the Operational Coordination Center (Cecop) to continue coordinating the protocol and updating information regarding the Tajo and Alberche Rivers. The river reached the red alert threshold two weeks ago, as reported by the City Council in a press release.
From now on, the meetings will be spaced out more, but there will always be constant communication, as stated by the Minister of Finance and Public Administrations, Juan Alfonso Ruiz Molina.
The mayor has indicated that although the flow «remains high, it is decreasing, which is a reassuring sign for us,» something that Talavera «especially needs after the complicated and sad episode we experienced following the collapse of two sections of the Roman bridge or Puente Viejo early Saturday morning.»
«Fortunately, the bridge had been closed to traffic since the start of the alert more than two weeks ago due to the rising river, which was one of the preventive measures the mayor took on the first day of the river rise, and it has prevented personal tragedies,» he added.
Given that the flow remains high, Talavera continues with the activated protocol and is taking extra precautions. Therefore, Talavera residents are urged to stay away from flood-prone areas of the river and call 112 in case of any emergency.
Both the Local Police and Civil Protection are monitoring the river to control its flow and are closely monitoring any incidents that may arise. The previous night passed without any issues.
PROTOCOL
Talavera has had the emergency protocol activated for two weeks to deal with any situations that may arise from the rise in the Tajo River’s flow, and the mayor highlighted the «excellent» coordination of all parties involved in the safety of Talavera residents.
Gregorio emphasized that the Civil Protection, Local Police, and Firefighters services are operational to address any incidents and once again recommended avoiding travel, not crossing flood-prone areas, respecting traffic closures, refraining from activities in riverbeds and their surroundings.
In the event of being in a flood-prone area, Gregorio insisted on seeking higher ground or going to an upper floor. Both the Police and Civil Protection are monitoring the river to control the flow at all times.
EVACUATION DEVICE
Additionally, as a preventive measure in the event of flooding in areas near the river, an evacuation device is prepared in case it is necessary to evacuate homes. People in need would be accommodated at the Primero de Mayo sports center and the Puerta de Cuartos sports center.
Gregorio mentioned that the Local Police, Civil Protection, National Police, Firefighters, Aqualia, Red Cross, and the City Council departments of Citizen Security, Agriculture, Environment, General Services, and Sports are participating in the emergency protocol active in Talavera due to the Tajo River situation and are monitoring the river’s situation minute by minute and are on constant alert in case intervention is required.
Regarding the gardens, the Jardines del Prado and La Alameda remain open, as well as access to the fairgrounds. The Sifones, Vivero, and the park in front of the Madre de la Esperanza school remain closed. The Roman bridge remains closed to pedestrians.
The Primero de Mayo sports center, the José Ángel de Jesús Encinas sports center and pool, facilities at the Ciudad Deportiva (Athletics Track, Zarra and Mela fields, paddle and tennis courts), and the University field are also open.