The President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso.Javier Lizón (EFE)
The President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, announced this Monday the filing of a lawsuit against the hydrographic plan of the Tagus, which in reality the Canal de Isabel II had already registered more than 50 days ago, on October 4th. In doing so, the conservative baroness not only joined the water war as EL PAÍS advanced in March. He also managed to give himself his own profile and make headlines, almost at the same time as the signature of his colleague in the PP and President of the Junta de Andalucía, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, and the Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera (PSOE ). The peace and you presented a common solution to put an end to the overuse of the irrigation systems around Doñana Park. After hearing Díaz Ayuso describe the Tagus plan as “mean and inhumane” and argue that it “endangers the water supply of almost seven million people,” Ribera explained that the Baroness’s only intention was “to create controversy stir up”. At the same time, several environmental associations warned that such a lawsuit lacked a “legal or technical basis”; and could trigger “completely unjustified social alarm” since supplies are guaranteed.
“Sanchez’s obsession with Madrid knows no bounds,” said Díaz Ayuso. “Now he wants this region to surrender out of thirst,” he accused. “He has approved a royal decree that endangers the water supply of almost seven million people,” he added of a plan greenlit in January that will be in force until 2027 and that sets for the first time a minimum flow for the Tagus, as required by five Supreme Court rulings, European regulations and the Water Act for 22 years. “He has designed a plan to besiege Madrid that does not bow to his abuses,” emphasized Díaz Ayuso, who believes that the plan sets the values of the minimum flow through Aranjuez in an unjustified way, without taking into account the uniqueness of the water bodies affected and forces the channel to obtain prior approval from the state for transmissions. And he concluded: “There is nothing worse than trying to ration water for seven million people.” Considering that Sánchez has already done his worst, he always surprises us with something new.”
These statements were immediately answered by Minister Ribera from Huelva. “There are political leaders who try to work on the basis of the agreement and others who like to create controversy and irritate people,” replied the minister, whose department was expanded after the new plan did not cover the existing concession volume for supplies changed. to the population of the Community of Madrid and does not affect their guarantee. “This lady shows once again that she probably thinks more about other things than the interests of the people of Madrid, but about creating new problems.”
The President of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, and the Third Vice President of the Government and Minister of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenges, Teresa Ribera.Alejandro Ruesga
The core of the conflict lies in the Valmayor reservoir, which, with a capacity of 124.4 cubic hectometers, is the second largest in the Community of Madrid. According to the regional government, 1.7 million Madrid residents depend on it for drinking, 25% of the population. And the new rule requires prior approval from the state for the reservoir to receive water from the Alberche River via the San Juan-Valmayor diversion. You remember in the central government that this conditioning is protected by the National Water Plan Act.
Thus, in its arguments before the Supreme Court, the prosecution states that, in its opinion, “the established regime has no influence on the guarantee of satisfaction of the demands of the Canal de Isabel II”; that ecological flows comply with applicable regulations; that “its removal would cause undesirable environmental and/or socio-economic impacts affecting all water bodies in the catchment area”; and that the channel has sufficient economic resources to make the changes required by the new system, since it distributes profits annually among its shareholders.
What influences the most is what happens next. So you don’t miss anything, subscribe.
Subscribe to
Several environmental organizations, including Ecologistas en Acción, were even more forceful in a joint statement collected by EFE.
“The water management plan ensures the supply of the Community of Madrid (as well as the rest of the population in the catchment area) in accordance with the water legislation. “According to the Water Act, supplying the population is the priority use over other uses,” they explained. In this context, they explained that the urban demand of the population served by the Canal de Isabel II is 510.3 hm3/year, while the dams managed by the Canal de Isabel II have a storage volume of 943.6 hm3/anus. And for transfers, they explained, “it is established that the rights holder must request a monthly authorization.” “This administrative procedure applies to all holders of these rights and does not apply only to Canal de Isabel II,” they reminded. “On the other hand, it is a logical and normal procedure that a holder of a right of use must obtain authorization from the body legally responsible for the management of the public water area.”
For Díaz Ayuso’s political rivals, the day it was announced that Madrid was joining the water war, a battle in which the regions of Castile-La Mancha – where water is collected – has been embroiled for years, did not go unnoticed. Andalusia, the Valencian Community and Murcia – where it was received, and which have also announced their appeal to the Supreme Court.
Socialist speaker Juan Lobato intervenes during the plenary session of the Madrid Assembly. Chema Moya (EFE)
“At the same time as the agreement between the President of Andalusia, the PP, and the government of Spain, the PSOE, the government of the Community of Madrid is always doing its thing,” criticized Juan Lobato, leader of the Madrid Socialists. “This is the PP of Madrid, this is Ayuso who is taking advantage of everything to attack not only the Spanish government but also the PP and Mr. Feijóo,” he continued during a press conference in the Madrid Parliament. “The plan was approved in January, and eleven months later, on the same day that Moreno Bonilla agreed with Ribera on a possible solution for the water in Doñana, Ayuso thought of saying that the Spanish government was drowning Madrid,” lamented he. “Exactly today!” he emphasized.
A thesis that has also been defended by the government of the country, where there have been constant clashes with the Madrid government since August 2019, when Díaz Ayuso came to power.
“Coincidentally, Canal Isabel II made his appeal [contencioso-administrativo, que es previo a la demanda] in April, but the Community of Madrid announces it this Monday, exactly on the day of the signing of the Doñana agreement between Juanma Moreno Bonilla and Teresa Ribera,” they emphasized at the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
While the PP focused on the internal changes that its leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo is gradually making official, Díaz assured Ayuso’s entourage that the overlap of announcements was “pure coincidence”. Also that there is no connection between the pact with the PSOE and the Baroness’s accusations that the Tajo plan is “mean and inhumane” or that the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, is endangering “the water supply of almost seven million people”.
“What happened to Doñana is pure coincidence,” said a spokesman for the Cabinet of the President of the Community of Madrid. “It was decided to tell it now,” he continued. “It’s an internal decision.”
Díaz Ayuso expressed the same sentiment during an interview on 13TV almost at midnight. “I had no idea [del acto de Doñana]”, said. “I have no doubt that they will try to divide us between PP communities. But they will not find us there. “We are organized around President Núñez Feijóo.”
Subscribe to our daily newsletter about Madrid here.
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits
_