translated from Spanish: With mega pools seek to avoid havoc of alluvium in the capital

The flood that swept through San José de Maipo in the summer reactivated alarms in the Metropolitan Region about the risk posed by the increases in the flow of its rivers. This is a reality that does not only affect peripheral areas. With the present memory of the 1993 flood in the Quebrada de Macul, which left 26 dead and 30 thousand affected, the Ministry of Public Works is working on a project that seeks to prevent such havoc in an area of similar characteristics, the Quebrada de Ramón.” The great energy and destructive power with which the flows of debris (rock sedation) highly concentrated in solids reached the urban sector, make it possible to see the need to seek solutions, “said the portfolio led by Alfredo Moreno in the project that in March entered the environmental assessment stage. The initiative seeks to install seven mega containers or “pools” that allow to control and channel a possible increase in flow in the creek, since it is noted that today the sector has a “scarce” capacity in its collectors and sewers, “added to the fact of the high human intervention” that have narrowed the channels. The works are planned to be located adjacent to Valenzuela Palma Street, in Las Condes but bordering La Reina. The retainers would be formed by walls of maximum 2.5 meters high that will be installed on the south bank, with an orientation such that they allow the filling in sequence until they manage to contain 860 thousand cubic meters of water. It is also contemplated to install a mating system to retain solid elements, such as rock falls during an alluvial event.” It will avoid and reduce the destructive effect that an alluvial event can generate, allowing to attenuate the peak flow, its speed and drag capacity, “said the MOP in the project. The works are expected to begin in 2023 with an investment of U$76 million. But first it must pass the environmental assessment. For now, the Mayor’s Office and La Reina have shown concern about the cuts in streets that will be made in busy arteries.

Original source in Spanish