Junta asks central government to tackle 100 pending water infrastructure projects in Andalucía
Regional president Juanma Moreno considers these projects essential to maintaining productivity across the region because "without water, there is no agriculture, no tourism, no industry"
President of the Junta de Andalucía regional government, Juanma Moreno, called on the Spanish government this Tuesday to urgently carry out the 100 water infrastructure projects that require state support and intervention, but which are still pending action across the region and which are essential to boosting Andalucía's economic development.
Moreno expressed regret that to date all these projects "have not been carried out, nor even started, and water is fundamental in economic and social terms to maintain the current production model since, without water, there is no agriculture, no tourism, no industry".
Moreno reviewed his own government's investments in water resources since 2019, with 1.400 billion euros spent on 1,000 water supply projects across Andalucía, including 325 million euros allocated to modernising irrigation systems and promoting the use of reclaimed water.
Moreno also raised the possibility that EU funds allocated to Andalucía could be "re-badged" as water infrastructure projects, especially in the regions of southern Europe, like Andalucía, where water is in short supply compared to other European regions.
In this regard, he argued that "funds already exist for projects that address such as energy efficiency, but we have a greater urgency linked to our productivity, which is water".
Moreno stressed that his government's water strategy is structured along three lines of action: new desalination plants in coastal areas powered by photovoltaic energy to guarantee "reasonable, sensible and competitive" prices, the recovery of water in urban areas for agricultural use under "full scientific guarantees" and new connections and reservoirs to enable water transfers and ensure supplies.
For this strategy, he requested the support of central government and the EU to move forward together on these water policies that "are expensive, lengthy and complex, that require resources and are essential to maintaining Andalucía's production set-up," he stressed.
Moreno put forward these proposals on water supply needs at the event he presided over this Tuesday at Almeria's PITA science and technology park. He also announced to the attending associations and organisations of fruit and vegetable producers that there is financial aid available from the Junta for this primary industry to the tune of 130 million euros.
