Opposition parties accused him of lack of authority over the Ministry of Ecological Transition and reconsidered the uncertainty of the scientific consequences and the quadrupling of the planned budgets.

If the reservoir were to be filled, safety could not be guaranteed. This is the most striking conclusion of the latest research on the Yesa Reservoir, according to Adolfo Araiz, spokesman for EH Bildu in the Parliament of Navarra, as expressed by his party in the committee convened on 18 October. The report of over 600 pages says that “it is not possible to prove that there is an acceptable safety factor”. In other words, it is not possible to know whether the new dam being built by the Spanish Government would maintain the force of water.

Meanwhile, the work continues. The work of doubling the capacity of the reservoir is extending for 22 years, with no end to be discerned. Concerning the budget, it has been multiplied by 4.5: From EUR 100 to EUR 450 million. “Is it worth it?” asked Marisa de Simon, spokesman for Ezkerr-Ezkerra, Javier Remírez, vice-president of the Government of Navarra.

But this says that the answer “corresponds to the Government of Spain”, which is the manager of the works and the entity that has commissioned the final report. The problem in this case, according to José Suárez, of Navarra Suma, is the lack of authority of Remírez before the Government of Spain, since the Ministry of Ecological Transition received the investigation 15 months ago and did not teach it to the Foral Government until July, at its request.

In the words of Blanca Rodríguez, a colleague of the Remírez party, they expected “stronger security effects.” However, after the summer drought, the reservoir is at historical lows and at present the safety of the downstream inhabitants is not the main concern. According to Podemos spokesman Ainhoa Aznarez, “in 2050 experts consider that the flow of the Aragon River that supplies Esa will be reduced by 26%”. “In view of the climate crisis, being a great prey will serve no purpose.”

In any case, the situation is always harsh: if there were to be a possibility in winter of abruptly filling the reservoir due to torrential rains, all international protocols would force the peoples of Sangüesa and downstream waters to evacuate. In any case, since the filling of the reservoir is going to be very complicated, it does not seem to be going to happen, so the citizens can rest assured. However, we would pay a pricey price for the tranquility of its inhabitants: Over EUR 450 million lost.