Nearly two months after the national government announced the resumption of works on the Salado River The Master Plan Advisory Board warned again About the situation: confirms that the reactivation was Only partial Because it only reached one of the three subsections that make up Section IV.2 – the 30 kilometers between Ernestina and National Road 205 – which they describe as The main bottleneck for the entire basin. As they point out, the other two parts remain paralyzed and “There is no way to meet” the one-year deadline Officially committed. That’s why they insist it’s necessary Reactivating all three fronts simultaneously.
This section is divided into three parts, each 10 kilometers long, and passes through a main area so that water flows from the middle and upper basin. Producers from Roque Pérez, 25 de Mayo, Lobos and Navarro work there, and they are the most affected. Although more than 400 kilometers of Salado have already been bulldozed, this… 30 km is still where the water stops and returns to the fields. They point out that the only real progress today is in only one of those parts, namely Not enough to free the water outlet It is also only two cracks ahead.
“We appreciate the resumption of works, but it is only a partial reactivation,” he said. “There are only two bulldozers working in only one of the three 10-kilometre-long subdivisions. That is why the application we are raising, far from being a whim, is an act of responsibility.” Alberto LarrañagaChairman of the Shura Council, consisting of Coniagro, Argentine Agricultural Federation (FAA), Argentine Rural Association (SRA), Confederation of Rural Associations of Buenos Aires and La Pampa (Carbap), and Industrial Union of Argentina (UIA).
The body indicates that paralysis is in two of the three parts “Highly affecting” To the surrounding productive areas and “It condemns many producers to cover water in this bottleneck.”. They stress that the work will have a real impact only when… All three fronts are open at the same timeThis allows the dredging process to be accelerated and hydraulic continuity restored.
To try to remedy the situation, the Shura Council is holding meetings with the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Water Resources, affiliated with the Ministry of Economy. In conversation with NationIn those meetings, they raised the need for this, Larrañaga explained Reactivate the three subsections of IV.2 simultaneously and Solving the problem of non-payment of contractors’ dues. As he pointed out, “There are no specific definitions yet.” While they await the official response, other measures are being analysed, including the possibility of a return to itinerant claiming by localities in the basin and union measures by each entity.
Another point they deplore is ‘lack of transparency’ In the management of the Water Infrastructure Fund (National Water Fund). Larrañaga explains that they are asking for an official page with general and up-to-date information. According to his calculations, the Fund Accumulating more than 190,000 million pesosHe confirms that resources remain frozen while construction companies bear unpaid debts that represent this “Less than 20%” Of this amount. “This does not stand up to the slightest analysis, it is inexplicable and unacceptable.”Detained. He also pointed out that this money comes from a specific tax on fuel: “Preventing floods or mitigating their effects enhances financial balance.”He pointed out.
Although Section IV.2 was Declared priority In 2024, it then suffered a slowdown and neutralization due to non-payment. The announcement of the reactivation two months ago raised expectations, but the Council confirms that this is the current situation Very far from what was promised.
Ignacio Iturriaga, a producer in the area whose field is located on one of the stretches that has not yet been drilled, agrees with what the advisory board is proposing: “Everything stays exactly the same”. He says that the partial reactivation does not change anything because the sector in which work has resumed “It is the least that helps in emptying the water.”As it does not touch the exit of Bridge 205, which is the main point. He points out that progress is minimal. “There used to be one bulldozer working, and it seems to me there are two now, but it doesn’t change much,” he warns..
He says that it is farther than the 32 kilometers that appear in the newspapers. The really crucial part is much smaller. In his field he left “2000 and something” meters without dredging and is calculated to be located downstream Another five to seven kilometerswhich is the section that – he says – is the one that will actually open the water outlet. And as he says, the work is Completely braked And every week you get the same answer Of technicians and operators: “Until they pay, we won’t start,” he says..