In the courtroom, where proceedings continue over the 2024 disaster, Miguel Polo, president of the Hydrographic Confederation of the Júcar District (CHJ), found himself under scrutiny. He was called to explain why information about the sudden surge of water in the Poyo riverbed was not promptly communicated to emergency services and other coordination parties.
The flood, which claimed 229 lives, was the most significant tragedy in the region in decades. During questioning, Polo admitted that by 18:43, his agency was already aware of a critical water level breach—at that time, emergency services had received an email with data indicating a flow rate of 1,686 cubic meters per second. However, he said this did not surprise him, as he had seen even larger volumes of water passing through narrower channels and did not consider it necessary to draw special attention to the matter during the evening meeting.
Polo emphasized that his main responsibility was controlling the situation at the Forata dam, for which the CHJ bears direct responsibility. He was confident that emergency response services were acting in accordance with their protocols, and that his agency had fulfilled its duty by sending the information through the usual channels. In his opinion, an additional verbal notification was unnecessary, as all data had already been sent by email.
At the same time, the head of CHJ noted that monitoring flood flows is a collective responsibility, and it was not only his agency that should have been observing the situation. He also mentioned that the first warning signal was sent as early as 16:15, and the subsequent message about a sharp rise in water levels came more than two hours later. Polo described the repeated notifications as redundant, which caused confusion among many participants in the process.
The actions and decisions of Miguel Polo that day sparked a wave of criticism. Relatives of the victims and members of the public believe that the lack of timely notifications and insufficient oversight of the developing situation exacerbated the consequences of the disaster. The judicial proceedings continue, and the public is awaiting answers about whether such a large-scale tragedy could have been prevented.
