The general secretary of PSOE Aragón, Pilar Alegría, has demanded this Wednesday more economic resources and "agile measures and actions" to improve the prevention of forest fires and safeguard urban areas. She did this after meeting with mayors, councilors, neighbors, volunteers, farmers, and those affected by the fire in Las Peñas de Riglos, in several municipalities of the Hoya de Huesca and Jacetania.
Alegría explained that the objective of the visit is "to continue maintaining contact and listen to the people who live here," especially those who know the territory throughout the year, in order to gather their proposals and integrate them into the Plan Aragón 2027 that PSOE is developing, as well as to later convey them to the Cortes de Aragón.
Among the main requests that emerged in the meeting, the urgency of reinforcing the prevention and protection of urban centers against fire stands out. "It is fundamental and urgent to allow from now on that all municipalities have the possibility, the material and physical resources to be able to clean and perimeter their urban centers," Alegría expressed.
The socialist leader also emphasized the importance of intensifying the cleaning of forest tracks and improving the infrastructures that help to stop the advance of the flames. At this point, she highlighted the regional roads and the need to keep their margins clean and with sufficient width. "It is essential that the sides of the roads are clean and as wide as possible to serve as a natural firebreak," she stated, after observing on the ground how the road acted as a barrier against the fire.
According to Alegría, these are actions that can be activated in the short term and that require the coordinated involvement of all administrations. "I believe that here everyone is fully aware that social and economic habits have changed and that we are facing a climate emergency in our country and also in this autonomous community," she pointed out.
New climate reality and extinction operation
She defended that both prevention and extinction must adjust to the new climate reality. "We need more resources, more means, better equipment, and, above all, improve the working conditions of professionals," she demanded.
In this context, Alegría has highlighted the key role that farmers have played during the fires and has suggested that their collaboration in the operation be organized in a more structured way. "Those farmers need to be part of that operation in a much more organized manner," she indicated. The socialist proposal contemplates that the farmers who make their resources available to the device be integrated into a census and a more professionalized collaboration mechanism, which allows activating their participation effectively in future emergencies.
Problems of drinking water and support for municipalities
During the meeting, one of the greatest concerns expressed by municipal representatives has been the supply of drinking water. Alegría emphasized that it is a problem that affects numerous municipalities in the areas of Riglos and Jacetania and that requires an immediate solution.
The mayor of Santa Cruz de la Serós, Marifé Vinacua, on behalf of the councilors of Jacetania, described the uncertainty that the residents of the affected towns are experiencing: "we are still without water and we also do not know what guidelines to follow because they have not contacted us and we do not know well how to approach all this."
"We would like that small municipalities, which do not have the adequate logistics, be given a series of guidelines so that we can tell our neighbors who are worried and affected: both individual neighbors and farmers, ranchers, businesses, and companies," she said.
Pilar Alegría has listened to the demands of the mayors present at the meeting: the mayor of Ayerbe, Antonio Biescas; the mayor of Las Peñas de Riglos, Juan Torralba; the mayor of Bailo, Javier Solana; the mayor of Santa Cruz de la Serós, Marifé Vinacua; the mayor of Hecho, Marta Lera; the mayor of Ansó, Blanca Alfonso; the president of La Jacetania, Olvido Moratinos; and the councilors of Jaca, Manu Díez and María José España, in addition to representatives of the affected districts. The general secretary of the PSOE of Alto Aragón, Fernando Sabés, also participated in the visit.
Actions throughout the year
From the PSOE Aragón, they have insisted that the response to the fires cannot be limited to the moment of extinction, but must extend afterwards, addressing the needs of the municipalities and the affected people, and reinforcing prevention to minimize the impact of future fires.
Alegría has defended that the administrations must take advantage of the lessons left by the fires of this summer to adapt the means and prevention policies to a different climatic situation, with more resources, reinforced coordination, and constant preventive actions that allow protecting the municipalities and their neighbors.