Anthony Piovesan
WATER levels inside Andalucian dams are at record lows and the region’s government has a solution, but it won’t be cheap.
Andalucia needs €5 billion to combat the region’s drought problem and its threat to the local economy.
On the second day during his visit to Brussels, Junta de Andalucia president Juanma Moreno on Tuesday said the drought situation was a concern, and urgent investment was needed.
He said infrastructure works costing €1 billion were already underway, but another €4 billion was needed.
Moreno called on the government in Madrid to finance drought recovery projects in southern Spain.
He also called for the European Union’s Next generation funds to be restructured to cover issues with drought, in addition to environmental and energy efficiency projects.
Moreno calculated about €5 billion needed from the EU to finance desalination plants, new pipelines and recycling facilities.
“This would enable supplies to be guaranteed for the next 30, 40 or 50 years,” he said.
Moreno also said drought was often not discussed across Europe because most countries were not impacted by it.
“This is something that the European authorities need to understand.”
Dams across Andalucia are at record lows after Spain sweltered through its most torrid summer since 1961.
Malaga’s main reservoir, the Viñuela, is currently at 11% of its total capacity, which is 164,37 cubic hectometres.
It’s dangerously close to being declared a ‘dead reservoir’, while the average level of water in Andalucian reservoirs sits at just 25%.
In Cordoba, the Sierra Boyera reservoir was at 9% – one year ago it was at 34%.
READ MORE:
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