El ingeniero Ramón García Hernández y las obras públicas en España a fines del s. XIX

Abstract

Durante el tercio final del siglo XIX, los ingenieros españoles debaten sobre la forma más adecuada de combatir el problema de las inundaciones que, sin ser excesivamente frecuente, era a menudo causa de graves perjuicios sociales y económicos. Frente a quienes consideran que es preferible conceder ayudas a los damnificados que las padecen, otros consideran que es un viejo problema que conviene resolver por medio de la construcción de embalses que, además, servirán para regular el caudal de los ríos y para crear nuevas superficies de regadíos. Entre estos últimos encontramos al ingeniero Ramón García Hernández, partidario a su vez de intervenciones muy prudentes y meditadas, frente a quienes propugnan la creación de grandes embalses. De la misma forma, ante los proyectos de grandes carreteras se muestra a favor de intervenir en la red secundaria mejorando los viejos trazados, antes de efectuar grandes inversiones en carreteras de la red principal, en unos momentos en los que se extienden por la Península los grandes ferrocarriles. Su actitud, como ingeniero, prudente y económica, unido al valor que concede al paisaje y a la conservación del medio natural, sitúa su pensamiento entre los pioneros del medioambientalismo en España.

Since the last third of the 19th century, Spanish engineers have been discussing about the most proper way to face the problem of floods that, though not being very frequent, caused extensive damages and social and economic problems. Against those who preferred to face this problem by giving assistance to the victims, there were other people who considered building dams a better way to solve it. In addition, dams and reservoirs woud help to regulate the river flow and to set new irrigated crops areas. Ramón García Hernández was an engineer that belonged to the last group, he also was in favour of small and thoughtful constructions, appropriate to the needs of society, against those who suggested the building of huge dams. Even more,Ramón García advocated the improvement of the local roads network, working on the old routes, instead of the expensive projects of the new great highways, in a time when the big railways were spreading throughout the Iberian Peninsula. His behaviour as a thoughtful and practical engineer, in addition to the importance he gave to the landscape and care of the environment, makes us consider him a pioneer of the environmentalism in Spain.