The Santos ravine, which traverses the centre of Santa Cruz, continues to attract complaints from residents living on the outskirts of this capital riverbed. Recently, inhabitants in the vicinity between the Casa del Carnaval and the Serrador bridge informed DIARIO DE AVISOS about the condition of “neglect” of the riverbed, where unruly weeds, reed beds, litter and remnants of construction works from years ago have gone unaddressed, raising concerns about the potential for new floods reminiscent of those experienced in 2010.
Nonetheless, the current condition of the ravine extends beyond this section, as yesterday residents of the Salamanca neighbourhood also reported “the absence of cleaning in the channel near the Zurita bridge, which has turned into a veritable jungle.”
Those affected relayed to this publication that “the greenery and reed beds spread over a significant portion of the ravine’s bed, from the vicinity of Febles Campos, which, compounded by the volume of waste accumulating in the channel, indicates that if heavy rain were to occur, the resulting deluge could lead to severe flooding in the lower parts of the city, where the water would carry away whatever it encounters and potentially cause a blockage at the church of La Concepción due to the constriction of the bridge.”
For this reason, residents from this locality are urging “the immediate clearing of the ravine’s base at the level of the Zurita bridge, which is overgrown with vegetation on the margins, along with the debris and refuse that individuals have discarded.”
“The present condition is a complete catastrophe as the Santa Cruz City Council has neglected the Santos ravine, leaving it unattended for years without deploying crews to eliminate the weeds,” the affected residents claim.
In this context, they are appealing for intervention from the council before a disaster occurs, expressing that “we will be left in despair,” say the complainants.