The President of the Junta, Juanma Moreno, has referred to the storm that Andalusia is currently experiencing, which has put seven Andalusian provinces on alert, and has stated that the uneven distribution of these rains hinders the possibility of overcoming the drought situation at the moment.
In this regard, he has mentioned the water reserves which, as he said, vary greatly in the eastern and western regions of Andalusia. He specified that in the intracommunity basins of Cádiz, the reservoirs have gained 135hm3 and are at 38.8%; in Málaga, they have gained 60 hm3 and the reservoirs are at 41.8%; in Huelva, they have gained an additional 35.5 hm3 and are at 57.4%; in Granada, they have gained much less, just 1.6hm3, but the reservoirs are at 61%, and in Almería, they have only received 1.3 hm3 and the reserves remain at 9.4%. «This gives an idea of the uneven distribution of rains in Andalusia and the need to maintain preventive measures and, of course, investments in water resources,» he added.
On another note, Moreno has announced the start of the environmental processing of the Gibralmedina Dam project, an infrastructure that has been discussed for thirty years, which is key to the water security of Campo de Gibraltar and is declared of General Interest by the State.
He has reported that for this purpose, the Andalusian government has taken on the drafting of the project with a cost of 2.2 million euros. In this way, he indicated that the projected solution, according to the project, has a cost of 778 million euros. «This project will allow the transfer of flow from the Guadiaro to the Gibralmedina stream, providing an additional valuable 25 hm3 to the Guadarranque-Charco Redondo system, which could, in very dry years, increase that supply to 48 hm3, enough to meet the existing demand of 28 hm3 annually for irrigation water.»
The Andalusian President has pointed out that in prolonged drought situations, this dam would be essential to ensure the supply of Campo de Gibraltar, its residents, its fields, and its industry. He added that even the Mancomunidad de Municipios emphasizes that if this dam were to be built, the drought problem in the area would be solved for the next fifty years. «That’s why it’s crucial for water to be at the center of political action for all Public Administrations,» he said.
In this regard, he mentioned some of the initiatives that the Andalusian government has implemented, such as the expansion of the Arenillas Drinking Water Treatment Plant to double its purification capacity with 1.6 million euros, the work on the underground resources of Bajo Guadiaro to utilize them with 1.1 million, the disaster prevention and management system of the Charco Redondo dam with 3 million, and the sealing of the Guadarranque dam core with 2 million.
«All these improvements have already been implemented and represent an investment of around 28 million. Additionally, we have underway the disaster prevention and management system at the Guadarranque dam for almost 5 million.»
Inauguration of the Water Conduit in the North Zone of San Roque
Moreno has attended the inauguration of the Water Conduit in the North Zone of San Roque, a strategic project for Campo de Gibraltar to ensure the water supply to its residents, fields, livestock, and industry.
In this context, he emphasized that water is a fundamental policy for the Andalusian government, so he once again demanded that the Spanish government address the pending water projects that are crucial for Andalusia.
Juanma Moreno contemplating the newly installed conduit in San Roque.
In this way, he highlighted that this infrastructure that is being inaugurated consists of 17 kilometers of pipes between the Arenillas Drinking Water Treatment Plant and the San Enrique de Guadiaro reservoir to transport drinking water to the residents of the municipalities of Campo de Gibraltar, leaving the other pre-existing pipeline only to carry water from the reservoirs in the area to the purification plant.
The President of the Junta stated that this increases the available resources by being able to capture more water from the Guadiaro River and consume less water from the Charco Redondo and Guadarranque reservoirs.
Additionally, he emphasized that it is a key infrastructure that already benefits a permanent population of around 225,000 inhabitants, in addition to the industrial demand of the Port of Algeciras and the poles of San Roque and Los Barrios.
Likewise, he pointed out that it will also facilitate water transfers to the western Costa del Sol, which is severely affected by drought, so in critical moments, an emergency transfer can be activated. «All this is costly, very costly. Around 20 million euros, a significant investment that we have financed with the Water Canon or Autonomous Improvement Canon. Here you can see how the revenue is reinvested and how the Andalusian government maximizes the resources at its disposal to try to guarantee water supply. To mention water is to mention life, development, and progress.»
The Andalusian President, Juanma Moreno, greets the mayor of Castellar de la Frontera, Adrián Vaca.
Moreno has reiterated that the Andalusian government has a firm commitment and ongoing action regarding water, as evidenced by the 1.4 billion euros executed from 2019 to 2025 and the 130 projects underway in the eight Andalusian provinces for an amount of 835 million euros. «For 2025, we plan to allocate 555 million,» he emphasized.
Regarding this matter, he added that they have managed to increase water resources by about 210 hm3 per year, equivalent to filling a total of 84,000 Olympic pools, and have approved up to four drought decrees and more than 21 emergency plans in dams.
Also present at the event were the Councilor of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco; the president of the Mancomunidad de Municipios del Campo de Gibraltar, Susana Pérez, and the mayors of Campo de Gibraltar.