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Date Published: 05/11/2024

Half a million people live in flood-risk areas in Murcia's Segura basin

The government has pledged to review flood risk zones as the recent storms have highlighted the vulnerability of some areas

Over half a million residents of Murcia and Alicante live in flood-prone areas within the Segura basin, according to the latest data from Spain's Flood Risk Management Plan.

This large basin, which includes over 570 kilometres of rivers, ramblas and ravines, is vulnerable to significant flooding, with 11 municipalities in the Region of Murcia containing 70% of the population in at-risk areas.

Expanding urban areas in flood zones

The Segura basin is a complex landscape where urban, agricultural and historic land overlap with areas at risk of flooding. With 573 square kilometres of designated flood zones, development in these areas has persisted.

Around 14% of the land in flood-prone areas is now classified as urban, particularly around Murcia’s historic centres, urban peripheries and public facilities, according to the Confederación Hidrográfica del Segura (CHS).

A key finding in the report highlights that 66,712 people live in high-probability flood zones, where heavy rain events, like the recent DANA in Valencia, are more likely to result in flood conditions. Mapping based on different return periods (10, 50, 100 and 500 years) calculates that a 500-year event could flood the homes of 556,000 people across the basin.

The Vega Media and Baja del Segura areas, from Alcantarilla to Guardamar in Alicante, as well as the Mar Menor basin, are the major hotspots for potential flood damage highlighted by the report.

Half of Murcia’s population within the basin’s flood zones resides in the city of Murcia itself, with Cartagena, Orihuela, Lorca and Torre Pacheco also featuring prominently.

Areas identified as particularly dangerous include the Guadalentín riverbed, the Albujón rambla, and sections of Lorca and Puerto Lumbreras, which are marked by high risk due to narrow riverbeds prone to flooding.

Plans from the CHS include flood-mitigation dams in these watercourses, but these projects face delays and questions over their possible ecological impact.

In light of the recent destructive flooding, there is growing pressure to update flood-risk mapping and restrict construction in vulnerable areas. In Murcia, plans are in place to increase flood management efforts through 2027, designating 22 areas of significant flood potential and revising urban development policies.

These new guidelines are aimed at minimising the impacts of future floods, protecting both residents and local economies from recurring flood devastation.

The CHS is currently evaluating an additional 740 hectares in flood zones and is preparing its next flood management plan, which will expand protections to include at least 10 more high-risk watercourses through 2033.

Image: Policía Local de Mazarrón

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