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Murcia fears Tagus-Segura closure could quietly become permanent
Regional government demands a clear repair schedule and guarantees over lost water as farmers face planting decisions
The repair work on the Tagus-Segura water transfer has triggered a deeper worry in the Region of Murcia, namely that months of closure could turn into something far more lasting, after the Tagus River Basin Authority confirmed the two canal breaks discovered in Guadalajara and Albacete would keep the aqueduct shut for four to five months.Regional government spokesperson Marisa López Aragón confirmed after this week's Cabinet meeting that Agriculture Minister Joaquín Buendía had written to Spain's Minister for Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, demanding the works be sped up and that already authorised water volumes be protected.
Her warning was blunt. "The regional government would not like these works they have to carry out to result in a backdoor closure of the Tagus-Segura water transfer," she said. The letter also pushes for any water flows that can't be delivered while the canal is shut to be carried over rather than simply lost.
Adding to the frustration, Buendía says the regional government first learned the closure could stretch into 2027 through media reports rather than direct contact from the ministry.
The Tagus River Basin Authority had originally estimated four to five months to fix the two breaks discovered on 14 September, near Almonacid de Zorita in Guadalajara and Liétor in Albacete.
The timing couldn't be worse for farmers. Those working the Campo de Cartagena, the Guadalentín Valley and the Segura River plains are currently deciding how much land to plant for the autumn and winter season, decisions that depend heavily on knowing how much water will actually be available through to spring. As Buendía points out, whatever doesn't get sown now simply can't be recovered later, even once the canal is back in service.
His letter sets out two clear asks: a proper construction timetable with verifiable milestones, and an explicit guarantee that unused water volumes will be preserved until the aqueduct reopens. He's also calling for a full structural assessment of the infrastructure, given that this marks the second break at Liétor in just over a year, along with a long term inspection and rehabilitation plan with secured funding behind it.
The numbers at stake are considerable. Lucas Jiménez, president of the Central Union of Irrigators of the Tagus-Segura Aqueduct, puts the volumes still owed at around 65 cubic hectometres for irrigation and 25 cubic hectometres for drinking water, though the Taibilla Canals Association insists the drinking water supply itself remains secure.
This isn't the only unresolved tension between the two administrations either. Buendía's letter closes by noting he requested a meeting with Aagesen back on 4 June, within days of taking office, and is still waiting four months on. That meeting, he says, is now more pressing than ever.
Image: wikicommons
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