Cargando...As part of the State Plan to confront climate change, Tarea Vida, the rehabilitation of the Havana seawall will begin in 2020 to prevent coastal flooding, both from sea penetration and heavy rains.
Yoermes González, director of the Center for Hydraulic Research of the Technological University of Havana José Antonio Echeverría, explained to the Cuban News Agency that such action is part of a project they have been developing for approximately 30 years and includes four stages.
The first of these, which according to González will begin next year, involves a change in the geometry of the wall and its elevation as far as architecture allows.
He pointed out that the current structure is not efficient enough to dissipate the energy of the wave, and therefore surpasses the wall and makes a lot of water flow.
The shape can be improved in the geometric sense, if a curvature is added the problem can be solved between 40 and 50 percent, said Gonzalez.
The director of the Hydraulic Research Center pointed out that the project is designed with different magnitudes, but for the entire Malecon from Havana Bay to La Chorrera.
The second stage consists of the placement of embankments under the water level that prevent the attack of the wave with all the current force, with which the level of solution would reach up to 70 percent approximately, he said.
This phase will be developed in places where it is necessary, because there are places that have them in a natural way -reefs-.
The third stage would be the introduction of submerged dykes and finally the existing dissipative elements would be located in the hydraulics, and an option in this sense is the known jacks.
If the four solutions are applied, the problem of flooding in the area will be solved in the order of 90 to 100 percent, and the rest will have to be solved by improving the drainage systems, he clarified.
He revealed that the time it takes to develop the project in its entirety will depend on the constructive capacities of the country, but said it should take more than five years.
According to González, although three decades ago climate change had not been given the importance it has today because its effects were not visible, the Center for Hydraulic Research had seen the problem.
He pointed out that recent studies show that its effect will be much greater than what was estimated some years ago, the sea ascents will be greater and therefore all solutions have to be thought as dynamic. (Taken from Cuban News Agency)
