Analysis
A dike on the right bank of the Mondego River burst this afternoon in Coimbra. Experts criticize the lack of maintenance and adequate monitoring of these infrastructures, warning of the need for constant assessment and better management of the territory.
A dike on the right bank of the Mondego River burst this afternoon, in Coimbra, next to the A1 viaduct, forcing the closure of the motorway in both directions between kilometers 189 and 198.
The possibility of dike failure in the region had already been anticipated by the municipality, which activated an evacuation plan for around three thousand people.
In SIC Notícias’ Jornal do Dia, the former president of the Order of Engineers, Carlos Matias Ramos, analyzed the situation and criticized the way these infrastructures are monitored.
“These dikes have a behavior that needs to be verified over time and, at this moment, I assume that was not the main objective”, he stated.
The engineer also highlighted structural weaknesses associated with the nature of the terrain.
“One of the biggest problems with Mondego is that it is not evaluated with the care it deserves (…) an embankment project cannot be left without evaluation. Those fields are fields with a relatively low load capacity and, as a result, it is necessary to check with constant observation, with an assessment, whether or not there has been deterioration and, from there, introduce the necessary corrections.”
Carlos Matias Ramos recalled that he has warned of the potential risk of these works.
“I have already given several conferences in Coimbra drawing attention to the potential risk of this type of work.”
When asked about how often the condition of the dikes should be assessed, he was peremptory: constant assessment is necessary.
“Those works cannot be left abandoned”, he stressed.
Also being analyzed by SIC Notícias, landscape architect Henrique Pereira dos Santos highlighted broader responsibilities in managing the territory.
“There is a part that is our problem as a society,” he said.
For the expert, there is a negligent attitude in the way the country views the system.
“We have a negligent attitude when it comes to managing our territory and our landscape. The territory and landscape are not managed with papers, they are managed with concrete action.”
