Displaced by Floods and Evictions

A group of around a dozen homeless men, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, are now sheltering under the C-31 highway bridge on the border between Sant Adrià de Besòs and Barcelona, after fleeing severe flooding in the Besòs riverbed last weekend. The settlement, located on the Besòs side just off the Ronda Litoral, has grown in recent days as campers evacuated low-lying areas that were submerged during heavy rains. Most had been living about a kilometre upstream in the river delta, an area already under an eviction order from Sant Adrià’s city council. Nine months ago, they were displaced from the occupied B9 institute in Badalona. Now, rising waters have destroyed their temporary homes, with many losing clothes, documents, and personal belongings.

"We had little time to gather what we had. The water took everything," says Adam, a resident who holds a residence permit but still sleeps outdoors.

"Where Were We Supposed to Go?"

Alhaji Sarr, one of the campers, managed to save his passport and a bicycle, his most valued possessions. "I've lost t-shirts, trousers. A lot of things got wet, but I have my passport here," he said, showing his backpack. Others were not so lucky. Amdi, who left the riverbed months ago after an earlier flood scare, confirmed that several people have lost their identification documents. Despite the danger, signs of reoccupation have already emerged. Two mattresses were spotted under the Torrassa street bridge on Wednesday morning, just 48 hours after the river park flooded again.

"We're not going back there, it's too dangerous. I don't know how to swim," says Adam, echoing fears shared by others.

Sant Adrià mayor Filo Cañete acknowledged the difficulty of managing the situation: "We try to prevent them from consolidating, but we know that when we reclaim land, they go elsewhere, they come back. It's very difficult." The council has provided assistance to about 100 people this year through social services, though identification remains challenging due to constant movement between nearby areas.

October 21 Eviction Notice Looms

The current group sheltering under the C-31 bridge includes individuals from both sub-Saharan and North Africa. Three North Africans were stranded on a river island last Sunday due to the rising waters but managed to escape with help from firefighters. Buba, a Gambian man who has been sheltering under another Besòs bridge with seven others, showed how high the water reached, just below their current refuge. "If it had reached up here, we would have had to throw everything away," he said. The group, also displaced from the B9 eviction, says they stayed put during the flood because they had nowhere else to go. Local police have informed them they must leave by October 21. "We'll stay here nearby," Buba said. The Office of Social Affairs and Families in Sant Adrià de Besòs (ajuntament.barcelona.cat) remains a key point of contact for support services, though access remains a challenge for those without documents or stable address.

Primary sources: Barcelona City Council, ajuntament.barcelona.cat. Reported by elperiodico.com, El Periódico Barcelona.