Floods in Spain bring foul odors and health concerns

Photo: Manaure Quintero Agence France-Presse A man looks at the cleared debris of a restaurant damaged by flooding in Benetusser, in the Valencia region of eastern Spain.

Wafaa Essalhi – Agence France-Presse and Alfons Luna – Agence France-Presse

Published at 11:43

• Europe

In the towns near Valencia devastated by deadly floods last week, the mud deluge has brought foul odours in its wake, raising questions about possible health risks.

These odours of “rotten eggs, sulphur” emanating from the disaster areas come from “the decomposition of organic matter without oxygen”, Miguel Rodilla, a biologist at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, explained to AFP.

“It is not ideal for health” to inhale them, warns the scientist, but “higher concentrations” of decomposed substances in the air would be needed for them to be toxic, the biologist believes.

Over time, “we can find many cases in which people have headaches and distortions of perception,” Mr. Rodilla specifies, however.

Among the volunteers and victims on site, many complained of migraines and dizziness after having to breathe in these bad smells. In Valencia and its surroundings, masks have reappeared, as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“Currently, no epidemics linked to the floods have been detected,” Health Minister Mónica reassured X García. A surveillance protocol has been put in place “to prevent infections and diseases transmitted by agents found in mud and stagnant water,” she added.

A response that did not convince Greenpeace. “The official version of the government is that there is no problem, but we have no way of verifying it, so we will do our own analysis,” of the mud, said the environmental protection NGO.

“Rotten meat”

After the appearance of certain cases of gastroenteritis, the Minister of Health conceded on public radio RNE that “scientific evidence indicates that there exists a risk linked to pathogens, particularly in stagnant water, which can trigger gastrointestinal disorders or pneumonia.”

In addition, regional health authorities have reported “two probable cases of leptospirosis,” a bacterial disease, in two volunteers who took part in clean-up operations.

To avoid any risk of contamination and in view of the influx of volunteers from all over Spain who have come to lend a hand, a series of recommendations have been distributed on social networks.

“Anyone going to the affected area must wear a mask, gloves, boots, long sleeves, long pants and protective glasses, especially when handling stagnant water or sludge,” insisted Rosa Touris, spokesperson for Cecopi, the emergency committee set up after the floods, during a press briefing.

More than ten days after the floods that killed at least 220 people in the south-east of Spain, many towns in the Valencia region have still not cleared all the mud that covered them. The soaked earth now colors the roads and walls of houses brown and carries more or less intense odors.

Proliferation of mosquitoes

A foul odor is emanating from a supermarket in Sedavi, a town in Valencia. “It's rotten meat,” explains Toni Marco, an employee of a cleaning company.

The meat “was left there the day of the flood and it could only be removed now,” continues the 40-year-old worker – for ten days, these foodstuffs have been in refrigerators without electricity.

From one street to another, the smells “change” because “each decomposition of an element smells different,” adds Angel Aldehuela, a 51-year-old firefighter, who works in Catarroja, near Valencia.

According to the rescuer, the stench “will get worse.” “I don't know how long it can last, it will depend on the means of cleaning” but he bets on “a few more weeks.”

And in the coming days, the health authorities of the province of Valencia will also pay particular attention to the risks of mosquito proliferation in stagnant water, vectors of diseases. The regional Ministry of Health has called on the 79 municipalities hit by the disaster to adopt measures to deal with it.

Anger remains strong

Accused of having underestimated the risks and poorly coordinated relief efforts after last week's deadly floods, the Spanish political class is still the target of anger among many residents of the devastated areas of the southeast of the country.

Demonstrations are planned for late Saturday in Valencia and other Spanish cities to protest the management of the October 29 floods.

“I find everything that happened regrettable, from the alert that was never issued, to the management that took place afterwards, absolutely no one came,” laments Manuel Gayá, a 40-year-old engineer who lives in Llocnou de la Corona, near Valencia.

On Saturday, the organizers of the Valencia rally will march to demand the resignation of Carlos Mazón.

A leading figure in the Popular Party, this 50-year-old lawyer is accused of having been slow to react when the Spanish Meteorological Agency had issued a red alert on the morning of October 29.

Among the accusations also made by the victims, the fact that the entire population was not alerted via their mobile phones until the evening, when many areas were already submerged. The main emergency manager of the region, Salomé Pradas, admitted on Thursday that she was unaware of the existence of this alert system, before retracting her statement.

Alfons Luna Agence France-Presse