It is not a firm agreement but the talks are advanced. The Junta de Andalucía and the Murcian Government maintain an “open and fruitful” dialogue on the possibility of having the surplus from the Escombreras desalination plant, in Cartagena, to supply water to the Andalusian community, although “things still remain to be outlined.” “, said the advisor to the Presidency of the Andalusian Government, Antonio Sanz, who insisted that this route would be used “if it does not rain in the coming months.”
For this, it would be necessary to have the approval of the national Executive, since water is the responsibility of the Segura Hydrographic Confederation, so that it has funds with which to undertake the necessary works that make possible the arrival of this good by boat. scarce.
“They catch us working,” commented the Minister of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy of the Board, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, after yesterday the Minister for the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, raised the possibility of choosing to transport water to the southern peninsula by boat. In fact, the spokesperson for the Government of Juanma Moreno also referred to the fact that this option is included in the Board’s Drought Plan Plus “which contemplates, in fact, the intakes in the ports of Almería, Málaga and Algeciras”, some works “which are already being done.”
It will be throughout this month of February when the head of the Andalusian Executive and the third vice president will debate this matter in depth in one of their two scheduled meetings, although everything indicates that there is a ‘good harmony’ between both administrations on balance. how to alleviate the effects of drought.
Fernández-Pacheco has commented that Andalusia is preparing to face the worst-case scenarios, those where the region would be forced to supply itself with ‘surplus’ water from other geographical points. Negotiations with the Government of the Region of Murcia would crystallize in the event that an “exceptional situation” were reached, at which time the ships would collect water from Cartagena to send them to the most needy points in the south. To this end, works are already being carried out in some ports in order to receive and distribute cargo.
The president of the Board, Juanma Moreno, pointed out along this same line of “interterritorial solidarity” at the beginning of the week, when he advocated reaching “a great water pact” between the different administrations to face the challenge of the drought, a “ catastrophe” that mainly affects Andalusia and Catalonia but threatens all territories. For this reason, the regional Executive has admitted that it is studying all possible options to guarantee the supply of water to the population, among which is the arrival of ships, transfers and works to improve infrastructure and networks.
The water from the Cartagena desalination plant (Murcia) “would reach Carboneras (Almería), Málaga and Algeciras (Cádiz)”, for which “everything is being prepared”, according to the Presidency advisor. These actions are part of the Drought Plus Plan, which contemplates the possibility of delivering transport vessels with a capacity for 40,000 cubic meters of drinking water or 100,000 cubic meters of raw water.
In Malaga, everything is already being prepared to face a summer without water. In fact, according to Patricia Navarro, delegate of the Andalusian Government in this area, the connections are being prepared and the works that would be necessary to undertake to receive water discharge are being studied. The idea would be that the ships could dock at dock 13 of the Port (apparently it is the one with the best characteristics) and, through the connections installed there, convey the liquid to the El Atabal station and, from there, distribute water to the municipalities with the most needs, in this case Axarquía or the interior of the province.
In Cádiz, it is planned to activate connection points in the Port of Algeciras “at a more extreme moment of drought” to bring transport ships, said Carmen Crespo, Andalusian Minister of Agriculture. The head of the branch recently met with the mayor of Algeciras, José Ignacio Landaluce, and the president of the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA), Gerardo Landaluce, to analyze how institutional collaboration could be articulated in the event that they had to arrive boats with water to the Campo de Gibraltar.
Carboneras, in Almería, could be the first stop for ships from Cartagena, and its port could also be the subject of adaptation works to be able to receive this cargo and distribute it.
On the other hand, and in order to have more money to undertake the necessary hydraulic works in the region, Juanma Moreno requested in Brussels last week the activation of “extraordinary funds” to face “the catastrophe” that the drought represents. in the region, a request that must be made by the Government of Spain, specifically, by the Ministry of Finance. “I hope” that María Jesús Montero, responsible for this ministerial portfolio, “will lend her shoulder,” commented Fernández Pacheco, as she made an “enthusiastic assessment” of the “alignment” between the Board and the central government to “go together.” on an issue as important as the drought in the community. “The last thing citizens want is politicians waging sterile wars over water,” he commented.
