Havana, June 13 (RHC)--The famous sea wall known in Havana as El Malecon will undergo construction changes starting in 2020, as part of a program to minimize coastal flooding in that populous area of the Cuban capital.

As part of the State Plan to confront climate change, known as Tarea Vida---Life Task, the structural changes will try to minimize flooding resulting from tidal waves and heavy rains.

Yoermes González, director of the Center for Hydraulic Research of the José Antonio Echeverría Technological University of Havana, explained to the Cuban News Agency that the process will be conducted through four stages.

The first will begin next year, and it will involve a change in the geometry of the wall and its elevation.

He pointed out that the current structure is not efficient enough to dissipate the energy of the waves, and therefore they surpass the height of the wall.

According to González, although three decades ago the impact of climate change were not visible, the Center for Hydraulic Research had predicted that flooding would increase on el Malecon.

The expert added  that recent studies show that its effects on Havana’s sea wall will be much greater than what it was estimated some years ago, and he anticipated that when the four reconstruction stages are completed, flooding in the area will be greatly reduced.