Asaja Córdoba has expressed this Friday its satisfaction with the decision of the Guadalquivir Hydrographic Confederation (CHG) to extend the irrigation campaign, as the agricultural organization had been demanding to maintain the supply beyond September 30, after having stated that "the absence of rainfall and high temperatures make it necessary to prolong irrigation to meet the needs of the crops."
According to the agricultural employers' association in a statement, after the meeting of the permanent committee of the Reservoir Commission, held on September 29, the CHG has resolved to release during the month of October a maximum volume of 50 cubic hectometers from the General Regulation System, an amount that corresponds to the reserve set for this period in the last Reservoir Commission.
The measure provides for daily releases until October 12 while the lack of rain continues. From that date, the planning will be reviewed according to the irrigation demands, the general state of the basin, and the behavior of the rainfall. The Exploitation Area will be responsible for coordinating these operations with users to supply the different irrigation communities as efficiently as possible and minimizing water losses.
Regarding the conditions of use, only those communities that have not exceeded the maximum authorized allocations in the current campaign will be able to divert flows for irrigation, while extraordinary irrigations will be restricted until October 15. Direct extractions in dams and reservoirs managed by the CHG and integrated into the General Regulation System will be allowed outside the established release programming. In all cases, it will be mandatory to respect the ecological flows set in the current Hydrological Plan of the Guadalquivir for the stretch of the river where each irrigation intake is located.
The president of Asaja Córdoba, Fernando Adell, has emphasized that this extension of irrigation is particularly important for woody crops, such as olive trees, almond trees, and citrus fruits, as well as for the autumn-winter sowings of vegetables and cereals. In his request, he argued that the closure of the campaign should be adjusted to the evolution of the weather and the real needs of the Córdoba countryside.