Unió de Pagesos has achieved that the Department of Agriculture commits to preparing a detailed report on the damages caused by the storm Harry in the counties of Girona, with special attention to Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà, Gironès, and La Selva. The agreement was reached on Wednesday during a meeting held at the Girona Territorial Services, where the Administration confirmed that the affected municipalities will be included in the aid package to repair the damages.
Institutional commitment after storm Harry
The main impacts of the storm were registered between January 19 and 21, with episodes of floods and overflows. The Daró river, in Baix Empordà, was one of the critical points, with direct effects on farms and agricultural infrastructure. Unió de Pagesos demands that the damage report be carried out with the utmost speed to activate aid and ensure that the municipalities in the four counties of Girona are included in the same package of actions planned for other affected territories.
In the last session of the Agrarian Table, the Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, acknowledged the lack of an official assessment of the damages by the Territorial Services of Girona.
"I did not have any assessment from the Girona Territorial Services regarding the damage caused by the storm" - Òscar Ordeig, Minister of Agriculture
Claims and demands of the agricultural sector
From the first moment after the storm, Unió de Pagesos has requested aid for both farms and affected municipalities. In addition, the union has requested maintenance measures for rivers and streams with the aim of reducing the risk of new overflows and floods in the future.
The union points directly to the Department of Agriculture and the Catalan Water Agency as responsible for the maintenance of water heritage and the effects on private property, especially farmers. Unió de Pagesos demands that both organizations assume responsibility for the damages they attribute to the lack of annual maintenance of the riverbeds.
Aid and processing under surveillance
The agricultural organization insists that the institutional response must be effective and that the processing of aid should not be delayed, given the magnitude of the damage and the urgency of repairs in the areas affected by the water. Unió de Pagesos assures that it will continue working to make aid a reality as soon as possible.
According to what was stated in the Agrarian Table, the Government has sufficient budget to implement these measures. The union considers it key that the future report fully captures the impact in Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà, Gironès, and La Selva, with the aim that no municipality in Girona is left out of the aid package planned after the passage of storm Harry.