Seville, Apr 17 (EFE).- The Guadalquivir Hydrographic Confederation (CHG) has agreed to release 385 hm3 for 345,000 irrigated hectares during this campaign within the General Regulation System, of which 700 cubic meters per hectare will be allocated crops that need more water.
This was announced by the president of the CHG, Joaquín Páez, after the second meeting of the year of the plenary session of the Unloading Commission, whose agreement represents a decrease of 38 percent compared to last year’s hm3, when they stood at 600, and that it has also decided to advance the irrigation campaign “after listening to the sector”.
The drop is more pronounced in maximum crops, which receive 700 cubic meters per hectare compared to 1,750 in 2022 and the maximum of 6,000 that could be reached, which means that it remains at a percentage of 88 percent.
Páez maintains that this has been one of the “most complex” commissions since the water situation is “very bad” and has shown his gratitude “to all the users and all the representatives who have been at the meeting and have shown their commitment to Basin”.
A deficit of 70% in the current hydrological year
Remember that the level of precipitation is currently 35% less than the average and that March 5 was the last day it rained, since, although there was “hope” that it would rain during the last part of Holy Week – as indicated by the first forecasts – finally those rains did not arrive.
Therefore, according to Páez, there is a deficit of 70% in the current hydrological year, which has led the Confederation to make another decision, which is to officially establish the end of the irrigation campaign on September 30.
“Normally in October we have a reserve to guarantee the last crops, but now we are not in a position if the situation does not change,” he says.
He has specified that the extraordinary actions will only be directed to olive groves -which will receive 400 m3 per hectare- and groves, while others such as rice “will not have the possibility of planting, because their cultivation requires management of the discharges that We cannot commit ourselves to respecting it because it is very complex”.
“Right now the conditions for rice to be grown are not ideal,” Páez pointed out, adding that if the circumstances changed before May 15, which is when sowing begins, the situation would be reconsidered.
80% of the basin is in an emergency situation
The president of the CHG has indicated that 80% of the basin and irrigation is in an emergency situation and has defined the current scenario as “delicate, complex and difficult to manage”.
Páez has compared the state of the water reserves for irrigation with what occurred during the 1995 drought and has ensured that never in the last 25 years has there been a situation worse than the current one, for which reason he has said he understands the ” concern” of the sector.
The head of the CHG has defended that the decisions of this body are “always technical” and that they are not carried away by “other types of considerations”, in addition to stressing that they have received requests from “many sectors” and that they have responded ” personally.”
“We have thought it appropriate to carry out this campaign for the good of the general public”, defends Páez, who highlights the commitment to “be very efficient with daily management and with the management of transfer of rights” based on specific needs. EFE