Drought is a pressing problem in Andalusia in a campaign with the greatest restrictions of this century. Practically not a drop of water has fallen, more water is discharged than enters and in the community there are a large number of people who live on irrigated crops.
The Andalusian Government met the committee of experts yesterday and will approve next week the third decree to count the drought and the plenary session of the Guadalquivir Hydrographic Confederation (CHG) took on Monday difficult measures for the countryside that restrict water for crop irrigation .
The president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, has already announced that next week he will approve a third decree against the drought with actions worth 163 million euros, of which the majority will be for infrastructures and more than 40 will go to aid measures for the agri-food sector. This was stated on Tuesday after chairing the meeting of the committee of experts on the drought in the face of a situation that he has defined as "dramatic" in the community. Moreno rules out water cuts in the cities, but foresees that, in the towns in the interior of Andalusia where they already suffer restrictions, such as Los Pedroches (Córdoba), they could be extended this summer.
The Guadalquivir Hydrographic Confederation made another difficult decision on Monday: the unloading of 385 cubic hectometres (hm3) for the irrigation of crops from the general regulation system, a campaign that has already begun, which is 35.8% less than what which was approved in 2022. In this proportional distribution, the most marked drop will be suffered by maximum crops, which receive 700 cubic meters per hectare compared to 1,750 in 2022 and the maximum of 6,000 that could be reached, which which means 88% less. Rice is a very important crop in Andalusia, it produces almost 40% of this cereal in Spain and 10% in Europe. However, "planting is not guaranteed because it requires a discharge that we currently cannot commit to respecting," says Páez.
The Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA) has asked the CHG for a "millimeter" distribution of water. "You have to look back and go back to the 1992/1995 period to have a similar situation," they say. For its part, the Association of Irrigation Communities of Andalusia requests a plan for the availability of emergency wells in order to save grove crops.
