Junta de Andalucia approves a third decree of €163 million of aid to combat the drought

The Andalucian Government revealed that this third decree brings the funding allocated in response to the lack of water suffered by the Community to €300 million.

📽 Aprobado el tercer Decreto de Sequía dotado con 163 M€ para obras hidráulicas y ayudas.

💧 Dotará a #Andalucía de 184 hm3 nuevos de agua para abastecimiento y riego, beneficiando así a casi tres millones de andaluces.
➡https://t.co/h7AqZ9GOm3 ✅ pic.twitter.com/uPFPCq3HIE

— Junta de Andalucía (@AndaluciaJunta) April 25, 2023

According to a statement from the Government, within this third Decree, new hydraulic works are promoted that are committed to the use of reclaimed water.

There are also plans included for the installation of irrigation pipes, the improvement of the water supply, the search for new water sources, the reduction of water losses, and the digitalisation of water management. It also includes a package of direct and exceptional aid for farmers, ranchers and fishermen, amounting to €43 million.

Among these is direct aid of €10 million, plus €6 million for the expansion of the line of drinking troughs. Subsidies for the construction of rafts, watering holes and connectivity infrastructures will receive €5 million, along with a credit line for financing working capital for farmers and ranchers. As a result, farmers and fishermen will be able to benefit from the extension of levy and tax exemptions.

The new decree allows farmers and stockbreeders to continue to benefit from the rebate and to be exempted from the payment of fees and charges for services provided by the Andalucian government, for example in the veterinary field.

In the case of irrigators, it establishes a 100 per cent exemption from the regulation fees and the use tariffs corresponding to the year 2023 when their water supply was reduced by 50 per cent or more.

Fishing professionals are once again exempted from paying port taxes, and discounts are established for the services of the Andalucian administration.

This third Andalucian Drought Decree includes 25 new hydraulic infrastructures that aim to tackle the drought in the region and which, in total, entail a total expenditure of e120 million.

Of these works, 40 per cent are aimed at making progress in the tertiary treatment of wastewater treatment plants to obtain reclaimed water that can be used to irrigate crops.

It focuses on tertiary treatment works for reclaimed water in the wastewater treatment plants in Nerja in La Axarquia in Malaga province, Huelva, and Cuevas del Almanzora in Almeria.

The plan also includes those in Mojacar, Vera, Balerma in El Ejido, and El Toyo in Almeria. In Granada, in involves the connections of the Almuñecar and La Herradura tertiary treatment plants. Measures are also provided to address water scarcity in the Tinto-Odiel-Piedras basin.

Among the planned projects is the improvement of the intake of the El Andévalo dam to make better use of the dammed water.

It has been estimated that thanks to these works, 100 cubic hectometres can be provided to offer a greater guarantee of supply to the inhabitants of Andévalo and to the farmers of the Andévalo Fronterizo Irrigation Community. Work to improve the El Chanza pumping station is also contemplated in the plan.

In the case of Guadalete-Barbate, the planned actions focus on preventing water losses and improving the supply to the inhabitants of Campo de Gibraltar.

The decree includes works aimed at eliminating water leakage problems for the municipalities of the Consorcio de Aguas Gaditana and the modernisation of the Guadalcacín Canal.

Projects are included that aim at improving the operation of the drinking water treatment plant of El Cañuelo and the hydraulic and energy efficiency of the pumping facilities of the Campo de Gibraltar system, actions that will benefit the town of Algeciras, among others.