Murcia farmers protest in vain as irrigation water cuts hit hard

Drought wells will be opened in the Segura basin as soon as is feasible

As November nears its end and still there is no sign of rain in much of Spain, the desperation of crop farmers in the Region of Murcia, where water supplies in the network of “acequias” (irrigation ditches) have been cut off since the start of the month, is growing more and more acute almost by the day, and on Monday the voices of protest were heard on various occasions.

At 11.00 a group of around 60 farmers whose crops rely on the acequias, which were created largely by the Moors centuries ago although they have of course been modified since, gathered outside the head office of the Confederación Hidrográfica del Segura (or CHS, the body which administers water supplies in the Segura basin), to demand “immediate solutions”. However, Miguel Ángel Ródenas, the head of the CHS, was able only to promise them that he will do everything in his power to ensure that supplies from drought wells (or aquifers) are opened up as soon as possible.

The infrastructures needed to extract water from aquifers are already in place, since they have been used before, but nonetheless there are certain procedures which have to be followed, and this means that it is not quite as simple as opening a tap. On the one hand, environmental impact reports must be compiled, while on the other hand in most cases it is necessary to update, repair or replace the equipment to be used: in many cases this equipment deteriorates when it is not used for a long time, while in others it has unfortunately been stolen.

On top of which, it is necessary to re-connect the electricity supply needed for that equipment to be operated, and at the same time great care has to be taken to avoid affecting the underlying water table by extracting too much water, as happened in 1995 during the last period of extreme drought to affect the Segura basin.

In the light of all of these factors, Sr Ródenas was obliged to inform the protesters that if the priority is to guarantee domestic water supply, as it surely must be, then there is simply not enough water at present for irrigation farming. He can make efforts to speed up the process of opening the drought wells, but neither he nor the CHS can do anything to bring rain to the Region of Murcia and to the provinces of Albacete, Cuenca, Teruel and Guadalajara from where it can be transferred to the south-east.

The farmers, though, are planning more protests not only in Murcia but also in Torrevieja (outside the large desalination plant) and even in Madrid, where they feel that insufficient coverage is given to their plight. At the same time, they will be praying for an end to the clear skies and sunny weather which have delighted visitors to the Costa Cálida this autumn, but which have resulted in the period from 1^st September to 30^th November running the risk of being the driest on record in Murcia (see graphic).

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