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At the end of April, for the first time in its 161-year history, the General Community of Regants of the Canals d’Urgell, which supplies 120,000 people and 70,000 agricultural hectares in Lleida, closed the gates of its main canal.
From then on, only water runs to supply the municipalities and water the trees once a month so they don’t die.
The community put an end to irrigation in April due to the scarcity of water reserves in the Segre, Rialb and Oliana river reservoirs.
The Canal d’Urgell is located on the left bank of the River Segre. Its starting point is downstream from the town of Ponts. And after traveling about 144 km it ends in the town of Montoliu.
In this photographic report in Las Fotos de los Lectores de La Vanguardia we can see the landscapes of the Canal d’Urgell in these times of drought.
Claravalls belongs to Tà rrega, in the Urgell region. These landscapes have a lot of history behind them. It appears documented already in 1099 in the act of consecration of the church of Santa Maria de Guissona. In 1172, Bernat de Fluvià , lord of Claravalls, bequeathed it to his brother Guillem.
In 1422, King Alfonso perpetually sold the jurisdictions of the castles and places of Claravalls, l’Ogegat, Conill and Altet to the University of TÃ rrega.
Despite all the historical events, in 1831, the jurisdiction of Claravalls belonged to the crown. In the 18th century the parish church of the Virgen MarÃa de los Arcos was enlarged.
This church was proclaimed patron saint of the town in 1782. The old alabaster image was destroyed in 1936 and the current one is a reproduction.
Altet, in Urgell, is also a town integrated into the municipality of TÃ rrega. Until 1969 it was part of the municipality of La Figuerosa, but previously it had been independent, from 1812 to 1847.
Among the heritage points of interest in Altet, the Castell de l’Ofegat also stands out, a fortress in ruins at the top of a hill, dating back to the Middle Ages, which was first documented in 1133.
The relief of TÃ rrega is predominantly flat, although to the west there are some elevations that form the limit with the neighboring region of La Segarra.
The Ondara river crosses the territory from east to west and the Canal d’Urgell passes through the north. The town is 373 meters above sea level.
