Process to replace date palms in the city accelerated
The independent study on the fall of a date palm in the neighbourhood of El Raval on 3 August concludes that the cause of the incident cannot be established. Preventive measures have been implemented over the last five weeks and the tree risk management plan has also been amended.
Steps taken include preventive checks on 1,224 date palms, resulting in orders to fell 540 of them. Of these, 308 have now been removed. Other measures include systematic watering during the drought period and the inclusion of more stringent criteria in the tree risk management plan.
The plan now means that date palms taller than 10 metres will be felled in locations where they may cause personal harm, with the exception of listed trees with complementary safety systems. Systematic watering will also be carried out during the hottest moths.
Conclusions of the report on the date palm in El Raval
The report on the fall of a date palm in El Raval on 3 August, which caused a fatality, concludes that the tree in question was in good health but may have been suffering hydric stress as a result of the drought. The technical conclusions are:
- Wind: not exposed to strong winds.
- Visual analysis: no symptoms.
- Oscillation test: no anomalies.
- Level of inclination in the last check in March: no cause for concern.
Replacement date palms will be planted once the drought decree ends.
