Slow but safe. This is how the first advance removal of lava material at the La Laguna junction, in the Llanos de Aridane. Thus the first steps of the camino towards the reconstruction of La Palma just a few days after the volcanic eruption ended on December 25. This first task aims release 100 linear meters from the La Laguna junction on the LP213 towards the LP215 road that goes towards Tazacorte. A job that began on Monday and that, according to Amilcar Cabrera, technician of the Infrastructure Service of the Cabildo de La Palma, will last a maximum of “one month”.
This period will be maintained as long as the results are similar to those obtained in the initial tests of these first days in which the taking of samples gave negative results in terms of the presence of gases and a casting temperature of around 24 degrees Celsius in the most superficial layers. In the deepest tests with heavy machinery, the presence of gases was not detected, only water vapor, and the maximum temperature reached was 120 degrees. Both the sampling and the removal of lava are carried out under the supervision of members of the Steering Committee of the Special Plan for Civil Protection and Emergency Attention for Volcanic Risk in the Canary Islands (Pevolca) together with technical staff from the Cabildo de La Palma and advice of members of the Scientific Committee and the Military Emergency Unit (UME). “Everything has to be done with a strict security protocol. So far we have done things well and we are going to continue like this”, clarifies the technician from the Infrastructure Service of the Cabildo de La Palma.
“This first liberated highway it will be a test tube to establish the behavior parameters of the lava “, explains Cabrera, who considers that the importance of these first works is precisely in establishing “the physical-mechanical and chemical characteristics” that the lava material has. These controlled tastings are “essential” to establish the properties of each layer and at the same time advance in the excavation to continue with the reconstruction work.
But not all the areas affected by the volcanic eruption present the same “ideal” conditions to carry out these initial tests. It is not possible to extend the results of this test to other sites since, at other points, circumstances and temperatures would not allow it. The crossing of the Lagoon, with flows of three stories high, surrounds an urban environment that is “important to recover as soon as possible,” explains Cabrera. According to the technician of the Cabildo palmero these works will allow the recovery of mobility and communications in the municipality. “We will thus avoid that the residents of the area have to take a huge walk every time they move around the island,” he adds. This is also explained by Miguel Ángel Morcuende, Technical Director of Pevolca, who affirms that it is a small but important section of highways that they can “tackle without problems.”
And what will be the next point at which the lava will recede? Not yet known. The priority now is to free this first section and recover the infrastructures that supply essential services in the affected municipalities. Energy and drinking water are the first targets. From the Pevolca, work is being done – prudently – in a reconstruction table in which the first theoretical outlines on the reconstruction of these “essential” infrastructures are already proposed.
“We cannot let the neighbors return to their houses without guaranteeing the existence of basic essential services,” emphasizes Cabrera, who assures that the first thing is to establish electricity and water in the homes and then demand “lighting, sewerage, and other services. public “.
Another issue that will be analyzed once the lava rises will be the security of the homes near the affected environment. The municipal technical services will be in charge of certifying the structural safety and habitability of the buildings. “Those that have been affected from a structural point of view will surely have to be demolished,” adds Cabrera. Precisely today a municipal architect will join the survey work from the Los Llanos de Aridane City Council that will certify the situation of the buildings affected by the wash that has not progressed at the crossing since last October. To carry out this task, a notary will also come today to draw up the minutes of the work carried out so that there are no later problems in this regard.
The lava material that is extracted from these first works will be “treated” with the aim of “recovering 100% to use it in construction techniques,” explains Cabrera. According to the technician, the idea is to promote sustainable development and stop climate change. For this reason, all the collected material will be processed so that it forms the base of the roads and the essential aggregates of the infrastructures of future constructions. “It is a good substrate for many buildings,” adds Morcuende.
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And just when the lava removal work begins on La Palma, the earth stops shaking. Seismicity continues to subside on the island in line with the completion of the volcanic eruption in Cumbre Vieja on December 25. Since early Tuesday morning, the National Geographic Institute (IGN) has only located one earthquake. A small earthquake at 6:00 p.m. in Fuencaliente at a depth of 16 kilometers that was not felt by the population. Since last September 11, when the first tremors began to be registered, the palm trees have suffered how more than 300 daily earthquakes were registered on their island due to the eruption.
The Cabildo de La Palma yesterday allowed access to the evacuated areas from the north and south but insists that the measures may vary depending on the weather conditions and the evolution of the eruptive process throughout the days.
Reference-www.elperiodico.com