Date Published: 03/04/2020
ARCHIVED - The Spanish government recommends tripling the proposed green belt around the Mar Menor
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
Water quality data reflect a sharp deterioration in the parameters measured over the last year
There is an understandable tendency at present for the coronavirus emergency to overshadow all other items in the news in the Region of Murcia, but it is important to remember that there will come a time – although no-one can yet say when it will be – when the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted and other issues need to be addressed.
One of the most important of these in the Costa Cálida is the need to protect and regenerate the marine environment of the Mar Menor. In December the regional government presented a decree designed to afford some degree of protection to the lagoon, which has seen the water quality alter drastically over the last few years due in large part to the runoff of fertilizers and other substances from the agricultural land of the Campo de Cartagena, but the various episodes of heavy rain and flooding which have occurred over the winter and early spring appear to have led to the problems being exacerbated still further.
(Click here for a summary of the processes which have led to the environmental problems in the Mar Menor over the last 50 years.)
To give a couple of examples, the latest data regarding the transparency of the water show that the average depth of visibility in the Mar Menor was just 0.84 metres on 27th March, as opposed to 4.47 metres a year ago. Admittedly the most recent measurements were made following another bout of heavy rain, but even before that on 17th March the data showed a transparency of only 1.64 metres: the water is obviously a good deal more turbid than it was at this time last year.
In addition, the level of chlorophyll is an important factor as it is closely associated to the process of eutrophication, which can lead to the Mar Menor turning a greenish colour due to algal bloom. At present the chlorophyll level is around 25 times higher than 12 months ago: 8.86 micrograms per litre as opposed to only 0.32 micrograms on 27th March 2019.
The latest salinity measurements seem to have been affected by the inflow of more freshwater during the rainy second half of March and the average has dropped another point to just over 38 PSU, meaning that the amount of salt in the lagoon is almost identical to that on the other side of La Manga in the Mediterranean: in normal conditions it is approximately 44 PSU.
In short, the parameters measured are providing information which does not bode well for the recovery of the lagoon.
In this context the Ministry of Ecological Transition in the national government has made a recommendation this week that the Murcia government’s decree be strengthened, the most eye-catching alteration being suggested that the 500-metre-wide “green belt” proposed around the lagoon, in which restrictions on agriculture are outlined, should be made three times wider. This would mean a fringe of 1.5 kilometres in which the use of fertilizers should not be permitted, the aim being to reduce substantially the quantities of nutrients which continue to make their way into the Mar Menor.
Also included in the recommendation is the use of manure and other substances, effectively taking the area identified by the Murcia government as “Zone 2” and adding it to “Zone 1”, where the measures outlined are stricter. This recommendation could be adopted when the Murcia parliament debates proposed modifications to the legislation.
In publishing the recommendations, the Ministry specifically relates them to the decision – made inevitable by the law as it stands – to transfer 38 cubic hectometres of water to the Segura basin (which includes Murcia and parts of neighbouring provinces). Much of the water transferred will be used in irrigation farming, but the Ministry reiterates the need for action to be taken to protect the lagoon through the regulation of agricultural practices. Specific mention is made of the importance of reducing the amount of nitrogen used in fertilizers to 170 kilos per hectare per year, and to the possibility that this will lead to certain areas being limited to only one crop harvest per year.
Most ecologists will welcome the statements made by the Ministry, although some have already called for even stricter measures, such as a complete ban on all agriculture immediately next to the coast of the Mar Menor. On the other hand, Jesús Cano of the Agriculture, Water and Environment department in the regional government insists that what the Mar Menor needs is “not recommendations but investment” in the efforts to ensure zero runoff into the lagoon.
The PP party representative reiterates that such investment is the responsibility of the Ministry itself, and calls upon Teresa Ribera (the Minister for Ecological Transition) to take appropriate action.
Join the Mar Menor group on Facebook for info about Los Alcázares, San Javier, San Pedro del Pinatar, Torre Pacheco, La Unión and Cartagena and keep up to date with all the latest news and events in the Mar Menor: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MarMenorNewsAndEvents/