ARCHIVED - Bickering continues over responsibility for harmful substances running into the Mar Menor

The CHS points the finger of blame back at the Murcia government for halting the pumping of water out of the Rambla del Albujón

The Confederación Hidrográfica del Segura (CHS), the administrative body in charge of water supply and related infrastructures in the Segura basin (including the Region of Murcia), has responded to recent criticism suggesting that the organization is responsible for impeding progress in efforts to protect and regenerate the marine environment of the Mar Menor by alleging that in fact the regional government of Murcia is at fault.

Last week, as the latest water quality measurements showed an alarming decrease in water quality in the lagoon, Antonio Luengo, the minister for Water, Agriculture, Farming, Fishing and the Environment in the Murcia government, called upon the national government (on which the CHS depends) to activate the equipment which he said had been in place for a decade to pump water out of the Rambla del Albujón. The storms which brought significant rainfall to many parts of the Region of Murcia last Tuesday once again caused floodwater to run off from the agricultural land of the Campo de Cartagena into the Mar Menor via the Rambla and other channels, and the fragile ecosystem of the Mar Menor is particularly susceptible to the runoff of harmful substances such as nitrates and fertilizers which three years ago caused an algal bloom in the lagoon, turning the water a greenish colour.

But the CHS has responded to this rhetoric by reminding Sr Luengo that in order for them to activate the pumps in the Rambla del Albujón permission needs to be granted by the regional government department which he himself heads, adding that it was in response to the demands of the Murcia government that the removal of water from the water was halted in April. Only when the government in Murcia authorizes a re-activation will the CHS bring the matter up with the Ministry for Ecological Transition in Madrid, a CHS statement goes on.

However, the Murcia government was quick to respond, denying having put a stop to pumping.

Unfortunately, then, this issue has become yet another example of different political parties and administrative bodies using the fragility of the marine environment in the Mar Menor to heap blame on each others rather than implementing a solution. If, as seems to be the case to judge from the comments made over the last few days, the pumping of water out of the Rambla del Albujón would contribute positively to the health of the lagoon, then the best course of action would be to do so by using whichever administrative channels are appropriate, laying aside political differences.

While the regional and national governments argue - and let’s not forget that four Town Halls are also involved as well the CHS and agricultural concerns – harmful substances continue to run into the Mar Menor, three years after the “green soup” crisis of 2016. There is still a lot of talking but not a great deal of concerted action, and it is to be hoped that the “Inter-administration Mar Menor Coordination Forum” launched by the Mayoress of Cartagena breaks the mould and leads to effective measures being implemented, but as the Forum convened for the first time only this week it is too early to pass judgement.

The latest data available indicate that the average transparency depth of water in the Mar Menor stands at 2.55 metres (as opposed to 4.64 metres a year ago), the turbidity index is at 3.58 (0.77 at the same point last year) and there are 3.46 micrograms of chlorophyll per litre of water (1.02 last year).

Local environmental groups have pressured non-stop since the eutrophication occurred three years ago for permanent solutions to be found and a multitude of small improvements and actions to be undertaken to prevent a repeat deterioration in water quality, such as that which is now occurring. But in the wider picture, as was written last week, what is needed from local, regional and national authorities is cooperation and a proactive approach to ensure that events such as the storm last Tuesday – which was not, if truth be told, even a very severe one – should not be allowed to pose a threat to the health of the Mar Menor.

Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest news, events and information in the Region of Murcia and the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/.