The Secretary General for Water, Ramiro Angulo, the delegate of the Government of Andalusia, Aránzazu Martín, and the delegate of Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development, Antonio Mena, have met with the members of the Mesa del agua to analyse the existing situation in the face of the existing structural drought problem.
The Junta de Andalucía explained that one of the main issues on the table is to demand that «the State backtrack on the increase in the ecological flow of the Tagus to 8.6 cubic metres per second, which means a cut in the Tagus-Segura water transfer, which does so much damage in the Levante Almeriense». Another of the measures that have been addressed by the irrigators has been to ask the State to authorise the Júcar-Vinalopó water transfer. Martín explained that «all the irrigators are in favour of this proposal, but the competent Ministry has prevented it».
Ramiro Angulo endorsed «the measures that are being adopted to improve the different scenarios in the shortest possible time, assessing both the quantity and quality of water, favouring regenerated water and, through public-private collaboration, the modernisation of irrigation to alleviate the problems of water leakage».
Likewise, Angulo explained that «Andalusia, in defence of the irrigators of the Levante, has presented the appeal to the Supreme Court, as well as the precautionary measures to prevent the decision to increase the flows of the Tagus from being applied». And he said he was «confident that these will be accepted» so that the cuts predicted by the irrigators will not take place.
The Federation of Irrigators of Almeria (Feral) has detailed that they continue to work to interconnect the waters within our own channels, taking into account the principle of solidarity in which the regional administration believes. The Government delegate assured that «rainfall is irregular in terms of time and space and we have to show solidarity between some areas and others».
Aránzazu Martín pointed out that «Andalusian irrigators have an effective instrument such as the drought decrees and will be able to continue to make progress with their own concerns». In addition, «the province of Almeria has found an opportunity in the reclaimed water that provides new water resources for the irrigators of this land».
The members of the Bureau have shown their concern for the Levante area of Almeria due to the effects and consequences of the drought. The meeting also addressed the rest of the irrigated areas of the province, assessing the current situation. They stressed that, a priori, it is not as worrying as the Levante area, but they are not going to stop monitoring the situation constantly in order to seek to propose new solutions or measures if necessary.
Finally, the irrigators shared the need to continue urging the State to speed up the work on the Bajo Almanzora desalination plant, which is currently slow and at a slow pace of execution.