Por Redaccion 
Gago claims that it was a coincidence that there were two pipe bursts in Centro and El Coto
The Councilor of Urbanism of Gijón and president of the Municipal Water Company (EMA), Jesús Martínez Salvador, highlighted this Friday that the works on the Peñafrancia collector will be completed by the end of next May.
He made this statement during a press conference at the Atlantic Botanic Garden, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the EMA and World Water Day to be celebrated this Saturday, accompanied by the managing director of the aforementioned municipal company, Vidal Gago.
He also mentioned that the works to finalize the Peñafrancia collector, to correct the significant discharges into the Piles river that were detected and worsened the bathing quality of San Lorenzo beach, are being finalized.
He emphasized that these are works worth more than two and a half million euros, co-financed with one million euros from the Principality of Asturias.
He remarked, in this case, that the project, which he described as «improvable,» was modified in a «record time.» Thanks to this, a savings of 600,000 euros was achieved compared to the initial forecast, and it was also able to be executed «ahead of schedule,» two months before the planned deadline.
He also pointed out that they will be able to restore the service and open, probably for the May holiday, the road that currently forces to bypass the sports palace of La Guía.
He also noted that the EMA has completed works to extend the sanitation network in rural areas. In this regard, he mentioned that works are being finalized in the neighborhood of Santa Cecilia, in the parish of San Martín de Huerces, and will practically start others in the neighborhood of Arroyo, in the parish of La Pedrera, for approximately one million euros.
In addition, there are works to repair the network in the industrial estate of Somonte, and a contract of just over one million euros has just been signed to carry out significant investments in the drinking water treatment plant of La Perdiz.
Martínez Salvador also mentioned that work is underway to award the reinforcement works of the network in La Pecuaria, to which the EMA contributes approximately two and a half million euros to the urbanization project tendered by Public Works. In addition, a project was tendered for 15 million euros to reinforce the entire network and anticipate all the developments planned in that area of the city.
The councilor emphasized that these are «very, very, very important» investments, highlighting the extensive network available in Gijón, where there are approximately 2,500 kilometers of pipes between the supply and sanitation networks.
FAILURES
He also referred to the breakdowns in the area of Asturias and Donato Argüelles streets, and Usandizaga, in El Coto, where there have been «pipe bursts.» In this regard, he highlighted that the EMA was able to contain the problem in a «very, very, very short time.»
At the same time, he mentioned that around 9:00 p.m. this past Thursday, the water service was restored, although the pipe following the repaired one suffered another incident last night.
«We continue to work intensively there,» said Martínez Salvador, who referred to the framework contract signed that allows the EMA to carry out works of less than 100,000 euros in a «record time.» The councilor mentioned that around ten interventions were carried out throughout the city in this way last year.
Regarding the coincidence of both breakdowns, Gago emphasized that both are fibrocement pipes that, ‘per se,’ do not have a specific problem, but are older and therefore more susceptible to problems, mainly due to differential settlements in the area and being fragile.
In fact, about 15 percent of the EMA’s water supply network still consists of fibrocement pipes, according to Gago. «This does not mean that they have any problem regarding the quality of the water that circulates through them, not at all,» he clarified.
He stressed that the issue lies in the breaks. «It’s purely a statistical matter,» said the president of the EMA, explaining that the pressure tends to rise slightly in some cases.
WORLD WATER DAY
Regarding World Water Day, he mentioned that the events begin in advance on this day with the participation of 500 students from ten schools in Gijón.
Also, Martínez Salvador indicated that the daily consumption per inhabitant of Gijón in the year 2024 was 128 liters per person per day. He clarified that this is not a high magnitude, as just three years ago it was 11 liters more (139), and in the year 2000, it exceeded 200 liters. A reduction that he attributed to the work of the EMA and awareness campaigns.