There will be widespread water cuts in the Andalusian region in summer if it does not rain, at least, "for at least 30 days of continuous rain." This was announced by the president of the Andalusian Government, Juanma Moreno, after convening the Committee of Experts against drought today.
Furthermore, as indicated by the Chief Executive, on January 29 his Government will approve the fourth Drought Decree, with an allocation of almost 200 million euros, of which 50 will go to aid measures for the agri-food sector, while Actions are contemplated for city councils in whose municipalities there are already supply problems.
As will be remembered, the third Drought Decree was approved at the end of April 2023, endowed with 163 million. With the fourth decree, the Board will have invested 500 million in water works and key actions, according to Juanma Moreno.
The president has insisted on calling on citizens, the private sector and institutions for responsible use of water: "We are in an extreme situation and it is not about alarming, but about being realistic." "We all have to make an enormous effort to contain water consumption," according to Moreno, pointing out that if in the remainder of the winter and in the spring it does not rain intensely, "at least 30 days of continuous rain" are needed. , summer will begin with water restrictions in capitals such as Seville, Córdoba or Málaga.
For Moreno, given the prolonged drought that Andalusia is experiencing, there is no room for "patches" to get out of the situation, but it is about going much further and providing future solutions, for the short, medium and long term, to a problem that is going to be structural considering the forecasts that climate change itself is going to generate for us. He also wanted to make it clear that water cannot be a "pitched battle" or an "element of confrontation", but requires dialogue, agreement and cooperation between all administrations.
The problem of drought is, for Moreno, a "national and also international issue" and the European Union has to "take action on the matter" because it is affecting the autonomous community that generates and produces food for 500 million people. . The drought is affecting the Andalusian GDP almost to a point, with effects not only on the agri-food sector, but also on tourism and industry, according to Juanma Moreno.
The fourth Drought Decree, according to the president, will go "to the aid" of those municipal councils that are already having supply problems, so the Board has reached an agreement with the councils to provide them with water, with actions in matter of supply, water treatment stations, or reduction of water leaks, one of the "big problems", in pipes that are not visible.
Among the actions framed in this new decree, the president has highlighted immediate works for areas with an emergency situation, with a short-term execution period, and, in the commitment to tertiary treatments, those in Jerez de la Frontera, Bajo Guadalhorce, Antequera and Motril. The goal is to achieve more water by seeking the maximum expansion of the Costa del Sol desalination plant, located in Marbella, and reaching up to 20 cubic hectometers through portable desalination plants or alternative systems.
As the president continued to detail, the improvement of supply in Axarquía is also contemplated, with the Trapiche ETAP; the Fuengirola and Río de Guadalmansa boreholes, through portable drainage plants, and the Guadarranque canal boreholes. Another measure is the recovery of the water intakes in the port of Algeciras and Carbonera for the arrival, in case of extreme need, of ships with water, which would be transferred to purification plants to be able to put it in the supply network of all the ports. citizens. Moreno recalled that there are already water restrictions in Algeciras and in the countryside of Gibraltar and, therefore, "we have to think about that solution."
He has also mentioned an immediate action in supply in Alta del Valle de Almanzora, in Almería; improvement of the supply guarantee in Santa Olalla de la Cala and in the centers of Cueva del Moral, in Monteblanco, and in Almonaster la Real, and a floating intake (for almost surface water) at the base of Guadarranque.
Regarding the aid of 50 million for the agricultural sectors most affected by the drought, he indicated that the great novelty is the conduction of regenerated water to irrigating communities, something they have been asking for for a long time.
On the other hand, the president has insisted on calling on the central government to give the green light to the construction of desalination plants in Andalusia, especially in the eastern zone, and also to undertake water transfers not only between provinces, but also between communities and even countries, such as from Portugal. "What is clear is that we have to look for and have all the possible formulas on the table and study which is the most efficient," said the president, who pointed out that the Andalusian ports are already adapting, in case the In this case, boatloads of water would have to be brought for human consumption.
