Catarroja strengthens public safety after the DANA floods with integrated Hikvision solutions.
On 29 October 2024, the town of Catarroja was hit by an extreme DANA weather event that caused the Poyo Ravine to overflow, triggering severe flooding that swept through streets, homes and businesses, leaving many residents without electricity, water or communications. Tragically, the disaster also claimed 25 lives. During those critical days, every minute counted, making the need to protect the population more evident than ever. In response, the City Council identified the need for a system capable of anticipating risks and coordinating actions efficiently, ensuring public safety while minimising potential damage.
Against this backdrop, Hikvision developed a comprehensive integrated security solution that transformed early warning into a practical tool for public protection. The project focused on three fundamental pillars: redundancy, real-time operation and ease of use, ensuring that every technological element worked together within a single, unified ecosystem.
Thanks to the HikCentral platform, all information generated by the different devices is centralised, enabling the control centre to manage alerts, monitor the situation in real time and coordinate responses immediately.
From technical challenge to human protection
At the heart of the solution is the control centre, located in the City Council's crisis room. From there, operators have a complete real-time overview of everything happening across the municipality. Signals from cameras, sensors and communication systems are brought together in a single interface through HikCentral, the platform that centralises information and enables fast, coordinated decision-making.
The system includes cameras installed along the ravine that continuously monitor water levels. If they detect a rise that could pose a risk, automatic alerts are sent to the control centre. At the same time, situational awareness cameras deployed throughout the town provide images of critical areas to identify hazardous situations or unusual activity. With the support of AcuSeek, operators can quickly locate people at risk, providing an additional layer of protection.
The system also integrates 64 IP speakers and megaphones, enabling immediate public warning announcements to residents and passers-by, helping them take appropriate action and avoid dangerous situations. Automatic barriers prevent vehicles and pedestrians from entering hazardous areas, reducing the risk of accidents and reinforcing public safety.
The network is completed by the AxPro system installed in public buildings, ensuring that all access points are protected and that information flows in a coordinated manner by integrating access control, cameras and alarms into a single solution. In this way, every component contributes not only to risk detection but also to effective action to protect lives and property.
A people-centred solution
What sets this project apart from other security systems is that, from the very beginning, its approach was not purely technical but human-centred. Every decision, installation and configuration was designed to protect lives, provide reassurance and ensure that the community felt safe. Technology is no longer a collection of isolated devices but an integrated ecosystem dedicated to serving people.
Our goal was to bring technology closer to people. We were used to delivering highly technical installations, but this project was very different because we were responding to the urgent need to protect a community that had experienced an extremely traumatic situation, says José Luis Macías, the project's systems integrator.
This people-first approach is also reflected in the system's ease of use. Although the technological architecture is complex, its design enables operators to manage situations clearly and efficiently, reducing the risk of error while improving response times. Every action, from issuing a warning to closing a barrier, serves one direct purpose: saving lives and minimising the impact of a disaster.
Ultimately, the project demonstrates that technology, when designed with a people-centred approach, can become a genuine protective shield. Catarroja now benefits from a solution that not only detects potential dangers but also helps prevent them and actively protects its residents, turning a technical project into a genuine commitment to the community.
