La Viñuela farmers see water supplies cut by 25%

CUTS: The water board has reduced the yearly allowance to Vinuela farmers by 25%. Source: Flickr

THE Regional Government of Andalusia has informed farmers in Axarquia that their yearly allowance is to be cut by 25%.

The board cites drought conditions and extremely low levels of the La Viñuela reservoir for the cuts, which leaves any farmer with land below the 140 level to be faced with a reduced water allowance for the upcoming year.

In the last hydrological year, just 385 litres per square meter has fallen in the area which has brought the reservoir to drought levels of just 51.5 per cubic hectometre.

Because of this, the allocation for irrigation to farmers in the region have seen their allocation cut from 4000 cubic meters per hectare per year to 3000 cubic meters per hectare from November going forward into the new year.

The cuts will affect around 5000 hectares of irrigated farmland in the area of the Guaro Plan.

According to the spokesman of the Central Board of Users of the Guaro Plan, Alejandro Clavero, the cuts are to ensure that there are water supplies for the upcoming summer season, the season where the water is in most demand.

During the announcement that was given yesterday, it was also insinuated that any farmer above the 140 level will see their supplies cut until the reduction is re-evaluated in January.

The announcement also did not specify when the farmers that have systems in place to reclaim irrigation water are allowed to begin to use it. Some farmers have been waiting for a number of years to use the systems and have even had backing from the Andalusian government, however they are still waiting for the go ahead to implement.

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James Warren

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