Rolling stone blocks river in Callosa

A HUGE boulder, loosened by last month’s rain, diverted the Rio Guadalest in Callosa after it crashed to the riverbed.

Although no properties were affected, the change of course flooded adjoining terraces of fruit trees.

The Local Police, Guardia Civil, local growers belonging to the Comunidad General de Regantes immediately went to the scene to inspect the damage and report to the Confederacion Hidrografica del Jucar (CHJ).  This was another in a succession of landslips that have affected the area since storms in December and January but the first to involve the river.

Engineers from the CHJ, which is responsible for the area’s rivers and watercourses, arrived the following morning and called in the public-sector company TRAGSA which is routinely called in to cope with agricultural, forestry and environmental problems.

As the boulder was too big to move, TRAGSA employees have had to break up the boulder to enable the river to follow its normal course and prevent further flooding.