The Balearic Government has started the execution of the Formentera irrigation pond project, an infrastructure considered strategic for the future of the island’s primary sector, as announced by the general director of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, Fernando Fernández, during a meeting with the irrigation community held this Monday in Formentera. The meeting has served to assess the status and development of the plan to consolidate irrigation from the use of reclaimed water.
Start of work and contracts in progress
Fernandez has confirmed that the works have already begun with the levelling of the land and the construction of the settling tank, in addition to the processing of the main contracts necessary to execute the project. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment emphasizes that this action is key to ensure the viability of the agricultural sector in an area with severe water limitations.
During the meeting, the general manager has detailed to the irrigators the remodeling of the irrigation network, which aims to redirect water to the plots with greater productive capacity. This approach will involve closing the supply in some plots and opening it in others, in order to optimize the use of reclaimed water, whose quality and availability have improved, according to the analyses carried out.
Regional financing and European funds
The project has a direct subsidy of almost 740,000 euros from the Balearic Government to the irrigation community of Formentera, to which is added a contribution of nearly 900,000 euros from the Ministry, from European funds channeled through the agreement with the Sociedad Mercantil Estatal de Infraestructuras Agrarias (Seiasa). The work was commissioned to Tragsa in August, and the act of commencement of the execution was signed in October.
Fernandez recalled that the community of irrigators agreed to remove the hydrants not registered in the Balearic Island Agricultural Registers (RIA), a measure whose implementation now corresponds to the Directorate General. In addition, he pointed out that the new connection requests have been reviewed and that the most appropriate location will be analyzed to relocate them according to the efficiency of the system.
Training and environmental priority
A training meeting is scheduled for next March aimed at the island’s irrigators, as part of the Regional Ministry’s strategy to promote the reuse of reclaimed water for agricultural purposes. This line of action seeks to strengthen the water resilience of the primary sector, improve efficiency in the use of resources and preserve the environment and the territory.
The general director stressed that the regenerated water optimization project is the only infrastructure of its kind in Formentera and is essential to sustain the local agricultural sector. “Itis not only a commitment to sustainability, but a necessity to ensure the future of the sector in a context of drought and structural limitation of water resources,” he said.
Stability for farms
The action will provide a stable and adequate water supply for agricultural activity on an island marked by the scarcity of conventional resources and the high salinity of wells, factors that limit the agricultural use of water. The ultimate goal is to ensure adequate water quality and provide stability to farms, contributing to the maintenance of the agricultural landscape of Formentera.
