Visit to the Tarazona Drinking Water Treatment Station / Photo: DGA – Fabián Simón
dThe Aragonese government assures that “the water purification plants of Tarazona and Torreras have installed ultraviolet treatment systems to prevent cryptosporidium from triggering another crisis like this autumn, which forced the imposition of restrictions on water consumption” .supplies water to the municipality of Turiazon, in addition to Novaras, Torreras and Los Fayos” and “The pathogen Cryptosporidium parvum, which contaminates water in the water supply network, is resistant to chlorine but has proven It is effectively inactivated by low doses of UV light without producing disinfection by-products. In Novalas and Los Fayos, modifications to the water treatment plants to accommodate the equipment will continue in the coming days.”
The Aragon Water Institute purchased UV radiation equipment worth more than 369,000 euros “to be installed in water treatment plants in the affected municipalities”. “Ultraviolet radiation is a transient physical method used for the disinfection and/or sterilization of water for human consumption, capable of destroying the DNA of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, algae, viruses, protozoa…) and preventing They reproduce,” the DGA said.
He details, “UV disinfection does not add chemicals or taste, odor, pH or conductivity, nor does it change the water temperature. Precision materials are made of high-quality stainless steel using a special low-pressure mercury lamp protected in a transparent capsule “The light emitted by these lights is concentrated (90%) capable of destroying or inactivating microorganisms present in the water, such as Cryptosporidium and other microorganisms.”
On Monday, November 20, Jorge Azcón, president of the Aragonese PP-Vox-PAR coalition, and José Luis Bancalero, the far-right health minister, visited Tala facility at the Sona Drinking Water Treatment Station to “see first hand” what this technology looks like and the security advantages it offers on the supply side. ” Azcón and Bancalero were accompanied by Luis Estaún, director of the Aragon Water Institute and “municipal representatives of several affected towns, who were interested in understanding the specific situation of each area”.
Although his government has ensured a “complete end to the crisis”, the far-right bank “chose to continue the investigation to avoid similar problems in the future”, the DGA noted, while recalling that “UV is a better solution” than what has been considered to solve this problem Alternative options to the problem, including laying a pipeline across the Quailes River, are more flexible and safer.”
They recall that the DGA stated that “a gastroenteritis epidemic was declared in the city of Turiazon during the weekend of September 9-10, when an unusual spike in diarrhea cases was recorded, which attracted the attention of health workers. Suspicions soon arose. The cause of the clinical symptoms was in water. Although the first analysis gave normal microbiological parameters, public health experts insisted on maintaining water restrictions. On September 14, the results of our laboratory culture of the patient’s stool confirmed that this The causative agent of the epidemic is a protozoa of the genus Cryptosporidium.”
Two months later, the DGA still has been unable to clarify the location of the outbreak, its origins and the resulting liability, if any. It should be remembered that the Prosecutor’s Office is analyzing the information provided by the Action Federation of Ecologists of Aragon and Soria.
“For several months, professionals from the Aragonese health services, pharmacists and veterinarians from the public health, environment and agriculture sectors, as well as the National Guard, health inspectors and researchers from the University of Zaragoza, have been working “Experts in microbiology, animal health, conservation staff, administrative technicians, agricultural and interior and emergency engineers, as well as volunteers who help distribute water,” the DGA stressed, without conducting an economic assessment of the impact. action.
The DGA did report that a “total of €488,975.59 has been allocated to manage the crisis, €41,103.46 for public health, €43,273.84 for internal and emergency operations, and the remainder for germicidal treatment and UV treatment at the Aragon Water Institute.” However, among these costs, the costs of epidemiological investigations, security guards, inspections, medical care, sanitary laboratory analysis are not quantified,” confirmed the Government of Aragon.
So while Azcon and his adviser Bancalero washed their hands with water treated with ultraviolet technology, people in the areas of Tarazona and Moncayo and neighboring areas had no idea if another outbreak of gastroenteritis was coming as they Unknown origin. Real suffering during this early autumn period.