It is one of the most photographed images in Orihuela, the quintessential symbol of the city, and yet the council have clearly let it deteriorate to such an extent that it needs to be completely replaced.

Following the canalization of the Segura, it was decided to decorate the city’s weir with the Orihuela insignia, the shield and the four bars of the Crown of Aragon. It was first installed at the beginning of the 90s and lasted until 2017 when it was replaced following a change in design initiated by the former mayor Emilio Bascuñana (PP-Cs) and the former councillor of Infrastructure, Juan Ignacio López-Bas.

Now, however, just seven years later, it is clear that the materials used were not the best and the placement of the lower part of the shield next to the weir spillway was not a very good idea either.

The latter has caused the shield to become completely distorted, so much so that the poor Oriol has been left without legs, and without the branch on which it should be standing.

Maybe putting a painted shield on what was previously the natural bed of a river wasn’t a very good idea either. But it is clear that the humidity and the strong currents are not the best ways in which to preserve this work of urban art.

Carrying out any work in the river weir, as in any other part of the public hydraulic domain, requires authorisation from the Segura Hydrographic Confederation (CHS). In this case, authorizations are usually dealt with very quickly since the maintenance of the urban sections of the river is the responsibility of the town councils.

In recent months, there have been many cleanups that have been carried out in this part of the urban riverbed of the Segura in Orihuela, so it is anticipated that if the council has a mind to do so, and of course if it can find the funding to finance the project, the authorisation should be completely straightforward.