The last visit of the Leaders Programme 2018 was to the company Aguas del Almanzora in Almería. As pointed out by the hosts, the meeting took place at a strategic point of the basin: the point where the waters from the Tajo-Segura transfer join those of the Negratín-Almanzora transfer, which the company manages.
The irrigators community also receives water from two desalination plants. All those resources come together and are distributed among the irrigators and for the use of several municipalities in the area.
The Leaders learned about the Control Centre, from which the company’s two water reservoirs are monitored in addition to the rest of its facilities, including water pumps at the beginning of the transfer and remote facilities which are controlled every five kilometres with water flow valves as necessary. They also visited the pumping station, which obtains 80% of its energy from renewable sources, especially solar power.
They also had a chance to visit the Water Museum at El Saltador, which shows a series of old mechanisms used to seek and extract water, such as the cimbra (old galleries that used to be excavated by riversides), water wheels, cisterns and distribution systems.
Lastly, the Leaders and their hosts had an informal lunch at the museum, which served to close the 2018 Indian Leaders Programme. The Leaders were highly satisfied and impressed by the facilities and the level of professionalism of all the institutions visited during the week, and particularly by the candour and warmth they encountered at all meetings.
Report: 6th Indian Leaders Programme 2018
