The province of Almería is going through one of the worst water crises in its recent history. With a large part of its territory in an emergency situation due to drought, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture (as can be seen in the map attached below), the water shortage affects both the population and the productive sectors, exposing tensions between administrations, farmers and environmentalists about how to face this challenge. Between alarming figures and promises of key projects, the Carboneras desalination plant emerges as an essential and also fragile pillar in the region’s water sustainability.
According to the Agriculture Delegation of the Junta de Andalucía, the emergency situation in the Almanzora Valley is largely due to the cutting of the Negratín-Almanzora transfer in 2021, which deprived the area of 50 cubic hectometers (hm³) annually, 7 of them destined for human consumption.
This loss, added to rainfall that barely reached 30% of the historical average last year, has led to the adoption of consumption restrictions of 200 liters per day per inhabitant in numerous municipalities. These are data from the end of the 2023-2024 hydrological year, which have not changed in Almería for the better since the report was sealed in October.
Irrigators and environmentalists in the face of the crisis
Thus, those affected by this shortage point out different scenarios. Domingo Jesús López is a small owner of an olive grove and president of the Fuente del Arquillo Irrigation Community, so he experiences firsthand what the reality is for the agricultural sector in the face of this lack of rain. “Farmers are the ones who are having it the worst: while some have managed to modernize their systems with drip irrigation, others still depend on blanket irrigation, which not only wastes water, but also requires more resources due to the aridity of the soil,” he explains. . In addition, it points to the need for investments in technology and distribution networks that allow optimizing the use of desalinated water.
In the case of traditional crops such as olive and almond trees, López regrets that climatic conditions and increased costs have significantly reduced production, something that does not seem to be improving, since “it rains less every year.” “Traditional agriculture is at risk. Without structural change, we will not be able to maintain our production and farmers will end up abandoning the field,” he warns.
From the Grupo Ecologistas Mediterráneo Almería, José Rivera is critical of the management of water resources. “The Central Board of Users and the irrigation communities are also responsible for the current shortage situation. They have encouraged the expansion of irrigation, many without permits, and allowed illegal extractions that have degraded the aquifers,” he denounces. For this reason, environmentalists have been asking for sanctions for these irregular practices for some time and propose adapting the concessions to the real availability of water.
The environmentalist also warns about the impact of depending exclusively on desalination plants to obtain fresh water from the sea, which is the main solution proposed for years in Almería: “Desalination is a partial solution. It cannot be an excuse for the abuse of natural resources or for failing to comply with the Water Framework Directive. We need strategies that prioritize the sustainability and recovery of aquifers,” he demands.
In that sense, irrigators like Domingo Jesús López are on the same page when considering that it is necessary to rethink how to irrigate and what crops should be used: “Blanket irrigation, which is traditional, is neither efficient nor allows the aquifers to can be saved. We must opt for drip irrigation in dryland areas, but it is difficult to convince farmers, especially because there is hardly any generational change and they have been doing the same thing all their lives.”
Towards new desalination plants
But this shortage does not only affect irrigators or environmentalists, but the localities are facing an enigma that is not easy to solve. In Cuevas de Almanzora, one of the municipalities most affected by this shortage, the City Council is working around the clock to alleviate the effects of the drought. “We are repairing the Bajo Almanzora desalination plant and requesting tertiary systems to reuse purified water in irrigation,” explain municipal sources. With European funds, irrigation systems are also being modernized to reduce consumption and improve efficiency. However, they recognize that the restrictions of 200 liters per day are insufficient to guarantee long-term sustainability.
For its part, the Carboneras City Council, headquarters of the main desalination plant in the province, highlights the commitment they have to the water and socioeconomic development of Almería, while at the same time putting on the table the lack of resources they have. : “We are working on the planning of a new private desalination plant that would provide an additional 42 hm³ per year. We remain willing to collaborate, but our local needs must also be taken into account,” they demand from the municipal government.
Not in vain, Almería, given its lack of rainfall and its proximity to the sea, has been resorting to desalinating water for decades to balance the drought that continues to advance. Thus, the Carboneras desalination plant emerges as the key infrastructure for the water supply of more than 100,000 inhabitants and thousands of irrigated hectares. Currently, it operates at its maximum design capacity (120,000 cubic meters per day), but its situation is also precarious. The Subdelegation of the Government of Almería warns that a serious breakdown could leave a large part of the Levante of Almeria without drinking water. Although modernization works are scheduled for 2025, dependence on this infrastructure highlights the need to diversify supply sources.
The administrations work in different scenarios, but they do so due to the tensions between the regional and central governments. The Junta de Andalucía points out investments such as the repair of the Almanzora water treatment plant, which has been unused since 2012, and which will treat 9 hm³ per year from the Tajo-Segura transfer. In addition, they point out that they have promoted works to modernize supply networks in municipalities such as Arboleas and Albox, as well as tertiary systems in treatment plants to reuse water for irrigation.
The central government, for its part, focuses on the digitalization of water use and the expansion of the Carboneras and Dalías desalination plants. Also noteworthy is the bonus of desalinated water for irrigation, a crucial measure to reduce agricultural production costs. However, the Government Subdelegation criticizes the lack of autonomously owned infrastructure, while the Board points out the delays in state projects such as the Bajo Almanzora I desalination plant, which has been unused for more than a decade.
An uncertain future
The drought in Almería is not a new phenomenon, but its intensification and dependence on fragile infrastructures such as Carboneras require urgent and coordinated responses. While farmers, environmentalists and administrations work towards the future with the Damocles sword of scarcity hanging over their heads, the province faces the challenge of balancing immediate needs with sustainable planning that ensures water for future generations.
From Cuevas de Almanzora, they insist that the works underway are a step forward, but it is insufficient: “We will continue to demand measures that allow us to make the most of our local resources, without depending so much on external solutions that are vulnerable.” For their part, irrigators like Domingo Jesús López remember that, without farmers, “there is no food or development in Almería. “Water management is a matter of collective survival,” he says.
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