1926 – 2026
El Correo’s report on the Centenary Meetings in Miranda de Ebro underscores a central idea for riverside communities: floods cannot be addressed only when they arrive. Prevention, information and risk awareness are essential to live alongside the river and reduce its consequences.
27/03/2026
The article published by El Correo on the Centenary Meetings in Miranda de Ebro offers several underlying ideas that go beyond the event report. The main one is clear: in the face of a possible flood, it is not enough to react when the problem is already upon you. It is necessary to understand the risk, follow the available information and adopt measures that help minimise its effects.
The session, held at the Casa de Cultura as part of the centenary exhibition of the Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro, was conceived as an “open conversation” to look at the river through expert eyes. It featured José Adolfo Álvarez, former head of the Automatic Hydrological Information System (SAIH) service of the CHE, and Clemente Prieto, a civil engineer with extensive experience in hydroelectric operations and flood management.
According to El Correo, José Adolfo Álvarez insisted that the public must be aware of the risk, pay attention to the information provided by the SAIH and know from which values damage begins to occur. He also recalled that forecasts always have a margin of uncertainty, although meteorology is becoming increasingly accurate, and he defended an idea that is especially significant in a city such as Miranda de Ebro: it is better to act prudently than to downplay a possible flood.
The article also includes a key statement that is difficult to ignore: “it is impossible to guarantee or think that a flood will never happen again”. From there, the message is direct: we must live with that risk and adopt measures to minimise it. And, as Álvarez himself also noted, that task does not depend on a single institution, but on shared collaboration between public authorities, emergency services and the public.
The second part of the meeting, led by Clemente Prieto, broadened the conversation to another major use of water: hydroelectric power. His contribution, focused on the basin as a whole, defended the importance of this energy source and noted that part of its poor image is due to a lack of information. His approach was clear: hydroelectric use can and must be compatible with environmental protection.
In this way, El Correo’s coverage not only summarises an outreach session, but also brings together two underlying debates that remain fully relevant in the Ebro basin: how to be better prepared for flood risk and how to think about water uses with more information, more context and fewer simplifications.
Article sourced from El Correo, published on Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 23:19, by María Ángeles Crespo.
