Rain brings hope, but not lasting solutions for aquifer salinisation.
The significant rainfall from last week has been met with great relief by farmers in Almuñécar and La Herradura, who see the rain as an opportunity to revitalise their crops after months of drought. However, this good news does not solve the serious problem affecting the region: the salinisation of the Río Verde aquifer.
Despite the immediate benefits that rainwater brings, the wells in the area have salinity levels so high that they are unusable for irrigation. This has led local associations Verde, Seco y Jate and Agua para el Campo to make an urgent call to the Town Council of Almuñécar and the Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Costa Tropical of the Tropical Coast of Granada.
These organisations request the activation of municipal wells in Río Verde to maximise the use of the recent rains.
“The surface rainwater entering the aquifer slides over the deeper layer of saline water, which is denser, and flows directly into the sea. Only a small portion of this freshwater mixes with the saline water, making the desalination of the aquifer slow and insufficient,” explained association leaders José Luis Ruiz Olivares and Joaquín Cabrera Torres.
With the summer crop season just around the corner, the mentioned leaders warn that, despite the recent rains, there is no guarantee that sufficient freshwater will be available for agriculture. Therefore, they are urging local authorities to act quickly and without bureaucratic delays.
“Given that, despite the recent rains, we are not guaranteed the availability of water suitable for agriculture next summer, we hope that both our mayor and the president of the Mancomunidad act swiftly and effectively this time, and do not get entangled once again in excuses and bureaucratic obstacles,” they stated in their communication.
As the agricultural community looks to the future, the situation of the Río Verde aquifer remains critical. Farmers hope that effective measures will be taken that not only address the current crisis but also establish a sustainable long-term plan to secure access to the freshwater they desperately need.
(News: Almunecar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)
Keywords: Wells, Salt Water, Water Table, Rio Verde, Irrigation