The Regional Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Carmen Crespo, took part this Friday in the ceremony to lay the first stone of the works to improve and modernise the Cuevas del Almanzora Drinking Water Treatment Plant (DWTP). This is a new phase of the integral supply project for the regions of Levante Almeriense and Almanzora, which is in addition to the action that allowed greater water availability for the municipalities of Albox and Olula del Río.
With an investment of 9.2 million euros, Councillor Carmen Crespo emphasised that «once the works, which have a completion period of just over a year, have been completed, we will provide the two regions with 12.3 cubic hectometres of water resources per year». It is, as he explained, «a dream come true and a historical claim of the Levante and Almanzora, which had seen how the DANA of 2012 made 90% of this water treatment plant unusable».
The improvement of the Cuevas del Almanzora DWTP will directly benefit a population of more than 110,000 inhabitants and indirectly all of the two districts of Almeria. The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development has highlighted «the firm commitment of the President of the Andalusian Regional Government, Juanma Moreno, to provide Almeria and the rest of Andalusia with hydraulic infrastructures», while regretting that «the lack of investment for decades has led to the current situation with a drought that is dragging on for too long». The Councillor reminded that «42% of the Andalusian Regional Government’s public works correspond to hydraulic actions and the Budgets of the Andalusian Regional Government for this year 2024 contemplate 574 million euros for these actions».
The Councillor highlighted other actions being carried out by the Regional Ministry in the region, such as the construction of a new Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) in the municipality of Cuevas del Almanzora, which, as she explained, «is already 72% complete». Carmen Crespo has also announced that «this same year 2024 we will also put out to tender discharge groups and new WWTPs in four population centres in this municipality». These are, specifically, the collectors and new WWTP in Los Lobos, as well as the groupings of discharges and WWTP of El Largo, Grima and Guazamara.
Carmen Crespo has also indicated the activation of tertiary treatments in 2024 in both regions to make reclaimed water available to irrigators and help them achieve the necessary water balance. These actions are planned for Cuevas del Almanzora, Mojácar, Vera and Huércal-Overa.
The Regional Minister for Water has informed of a new meeting, next week, with the Secretary of State for the Environment «in order to continue to go deeper into Andalusia’s needs in terms of water». Crespo has advanced that «we will again demand that the Government of Spain doubles the capacity of the desalination plants of Carboneras and Campo de Dalías, as well as the maximum speed in the implementation of the desalination plant of Bajo Almanzora I, which also suffered the consequences of the DANA of 2012». The Councillor will also reiterate the request for the concession of 5 cubic hectometres of water for emergency purposes for the irrigators of the Bajo Almanzora I desalination plant in Almeria.
Carmen Crespo highlighted the importance of understanding between the different administrations in order to continue moving towards a water balance and recalled that «we are already working in the working group with the State with a view to the start-up of the new desalination plant, the Bajo Almanzora II, which will bring more water opportunities to our land». The Regional Minister also applauded the definitive concession of almost 8 cubic hectometres to Almeria’s irrigators from the Torrevieja (Alicante) desalination plant.
Finally, the Regional Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development called on Andalusian citizens to be «aware that water is a finite resource and that we have to take maximum care of it».