THE solution And alternative to the Tajo-Segura transfer that the president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García, is insistently proposing Pagemeans farmers pay ten times further confront he water for their fields.
This is seen in … the Cuenca Plan, with prices between 1.14 and 1.44 euros by cubic meter of the flow generated in the factories desalination plants of Torrevieja And Valdelentiscomanaged by Acuamed, dependent on the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge.
“If it is not subsidized, it is not water for agriculture or livestock; “It’s water for another use, but certainly not for the primary sector,” warned the president of the Central Union of Aqueduct Irrigators Tajo Segura (SCRATS), Lucas Jiménez, who also deplored the “deception” of this approach which triggers the cost in the crops until it is done unaffordablewhile now the average transfer flow is around 0.14 euros.
However, he stressed that the sector “is not opposed to any type of water, as long as its use is feasible”, but this is not the case with these figures.
Furthermore, not only would farmers ultimately foot the bill imposed for leaving the transfer mortally wounded, but Jiménez’s predictions suggest that the national economies pay “the duck” with a price increase predictable from basket of the bought.
Because the one we call ‘vegetable garden of Europe”, in this area between Alicante, Murcia And Almeriahas already started decreasealthough slightly for now. The president of the Community of Irrigators of Campo de Cartagena, Manuel Martinez Madridassured the Regional Assembly that the irrigable area “has not increased by even one square meter” since 2017 and, on the contrary, “it was reduced” by new infrastructure, industrial zones and changes of use from agricultural to urban, a reduction which amounted to approximately eight hectares.
During his appearance before the Special Study Commission on the situation of the Tajo-Segura Transfer after the latest measures announced by the Ministry, this agricultural spokesperson also stressed that his community pay the fixed sections, “come the water or no water comes», costs linked to the depreciation of the works and another set for a reference volume which, according to what has been reported, the current rules “do not allow” to be collected in practice.
Greater restrictions
In this context of an uncertain future, the reality closest to today does not give us joy either. The Discharge Commission of the Hydrographic Confederation of the On (CHS), corresponding to the irrigation of Las Vegas, unanimously approved a new curve of dump for the hydrological year 2025-2026 which “is estimated to reach 255 cubic hectometers”, 13 below than that approved in September.
Thus, as the president of the CHS explains, Mario Urreathis will force a increase of restrictions. Specifically, Urrea indicated that it will move to the fourth phase, which has restrictions of 40%, distributed between 35% for traditional irrigation, which until now had 22.5%, and non-traditional irrigation, which will increase to 49%, from 33.5% currently.
“These are significant restrictions but the situation East serious“, said Urrea, who emphasized that “to be able to make some savings in January, February and March, thinking about the risks of spring and summer, it seems reasonable.”
The factors that led to this planning are based on the decrease in precipitation and the fact that the evacuations carried out show that “the reserves in the sources were not sufficient to be able to meet, with the existing restrictions, the requirements for the use of irrigation”.
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