The Segarra-Garrigues canal will open the irrigation campaign on Lleida lands this Tuesday despite the lack of agreement with the Urgell canal to distribute the water from the Rialb reservoir. The president of the Segarra-Garrigues irrigators, Josep Maria Jové, explained that they have tried “everything” to reach an agreement, but the proposals for the two infrastructures “are very far” from each other, which is why the Hydrographic Confederation del Ebro (CHE) will have to dictate the water resources that will be granted to each party.
Meanwhile, Segarra-Garrigues will water “on account” until the CHE makes a ruling in mid-April, the president said. Regarding irrigation restrictions, Jové has stated that in the Segarra Garrigues canal an attempt will be made “to ensure that all crops receive water throughout the vegetative cycle and thus lose the minimum harvest.”
The president of Segarra-Garrigues, Josep Maria Jové, has explained that the beginning of the campaign is marked by the lack of agreement with the Urgell canal to distribute the water from the Rialb swamp, from which both infrastructures drink. Jové detailed that they have given “arguments” to the CHE to accept its distribution proposal, which implies that 1 out of every 10 cubic hectometres of the reservoir is allocated to the infrastructure it presides over. An operation that the Urgell channel has not accepted, he said.
For this reason, it will be the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation (CHE) who must determine what volume of water each part takes. “We are waiting for the CHE to tell us what we have to do so we can make an equitable distribution by crops and by hydrants. We will do this soon and while we open the hydrants on the 19th. We will do it based on the volume that the confederation can later communicate” said Jové, who added that they hope to know in mid-April how much of Rialb’s water they will be able to use.
The drought forced the canal tap to be closed and irrigation restricted last year once the campaign began, which ultimately caused losses of crops, such as cereals, especially in the regions that are supplied by Rialb.
Regarding the management of irrigation restrictions, Jové explained that he has already contacted IRTA to define the water needs of each crop that allow “to make a decent, good harvest and at the same time be able to save the trees.” “Based on your data and the decision of the CHE we will distribute the water, but we will not discriminate against any crop. We will try to ensure that all crops have water throughout their vegetative cycle to try to lose the minimum of each one’s harvest,” Jové concluded.
The Segarra-Garrigues canal irrigates almost 13,000 hectares of crops in regions of Lleida, many with cereals, olive trees, almond trees or fruit trees.
