The plenary session of the Governing Board of the General Community of Regants of the Canals d'Urgell (CGRCU), which irrigates more than 70,000 hectares in the Pla de Lleida, has decided to close the gates of the Main Canal next Tuesday, April 25, five months earlier than usual, due to the lack of rain and the minimum reserves of the Oliana-Rialb system that only guarantee water for supplies. This measure means that the main channel will remain closed, opening it only periodically to guarantee the supply of water for supplies and the survival of the fruit trees.
The closure of the irrigation comes less than a month after the Urgell Canal began the campaign, on March 27, and five months before the usual one.
Faced with this situation, the general director of the CGRCU, Xavier Díaz, has asked farmers not to sow summer crops, which could mean millions in losses. As reported by the president of the Irrigators, Amadeu Ros, the municipalities have been asked to manage their water reserves responsibly, since supplying the population is a priority.
Next week, the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation (CHE) will meet to discuss the CGRCU's request to declare the state of exceptionality due to extraordinary drought and, if approved, financial compensation could be requested.
Likewise, the Catalan Minister of Agriculture, Teresa Jordà, has presented a proposal to the Government for the modernization of the Urgell canal, similar to the one applied in the case of the Pinyana canal.
The Generalitat would finance 60% of the modernization works, while the State would be in charge of 40%, which would speed up a vital process to avoid the negative consequences of future crises like the current one.
