Ignasi Servià: “In the face of drought, agriculture will be irrigated or it will not exist at all.”

LleidaA consultant on irrigation issues and secretary of the Water Commission of the Official College of Agricultural Engineers of Catalonia, Ignasi Servià, from Lleida, has spent his entire career collaborating with administrations and irrigation communities on rural development projects. He considers raising awareness about proper water management in a climate crisis to be essential, a focus of his blog on the iAgua portal, where he has published nearly 500 articles.

River flows have increased with the rains and the opening of dams. Where does all that water go?

We're in a year of heavy rainfall, with little direct demand for water, and therefore all this water is heading towards the sea. This will contribute to the Ebro Delta, but I think we're losing a large part of this water due to insufficient regulation infrastructure.

But the Delta also needs water, right?

It's clear that the Delta needs water, but what it needs most of all is sediment. Floods bring water down, but not always sediment, which often remains in power plants and dams; it's not easy to remove it and move it downstream.

One of the topics of debate is the Albagés reservoir, which still needs to be filled due to an unfinished safety report. Are we missing an opportunity?

I think so. My theory is that climate change will lead to extremes, and in light of this, it's important to have these regulating structures ready to defend us when we experience floods or droughts. We must utilize all the infrastructure that has been built. I remember visiting the Albagés reservoir, which was completed ten years ago, but it hasn't yet been energized. The sooner it can be energized, the better.

Isn't water management being overly anthropocentric? What priority do the other species in our ecosystem have?

Some argue that there should be no reservoirs to provide river continuity. But if we hadn't had reservoirs in 2023, there wouldn't have been enough water for the rivers. A balance must be found, because reservoirs can also help supply the population, in addition to supplying water for other uses such as industry, agriculture, and the activities of the inhabitants. date centers.

Regarding water use, who has priorities when new restrictions exist?

Catalonia has lagged behind in the modernization of irrigation systems. This modernization is absolutely necessary for when we need to provide water in times of restrictions. The volume of water for agriculture is significant, and yes, these 80% restrictions seem very high for the sector, but the truth is, we may not have enough water for everyone.

Should the peasantry be irrigated?

Irrigation must be sustainable, and if there's no water, we'll have to adapt to its availability. In 2023, the grape harvest in the Penedès region was lost, and Freixenet had to lay off many people. In this scenario, with episodes of drought, agriculture will be irrigated or it won't exist at all. When we don't have water in the form of rain, we must provide water in the form of irrigation.

So, is dry land doomed?

We're in a year in which we'll see spectacular dryland yields, but they won't be the usual. Good harvests in dryland crops come every six or eight years. You can't achieve stability or be competitive that way.

Are the water management agencies in our territory (ACA and CHE) doing their job well?

I must admit that they have improved in transparency. I think they cannot be criticized for not sharing information. River basin organizations are becoming more participatory.

But the Urgell Canal irrigators have expressed their opposition to the CHE's hydrological plan because it foresees significant reductions in their water supply.

I signed the master plan for the modernization of the Urgell Canal in 2005. Twenty years have passed, and with the exception of a few local authorities, virtually no progress has been made. It's important that we finally begin to move forward with the modernization of the Urgell Canal. Obviously, it won't be done in five or ten years, and I accept that its traditional irrigation systems need to be maintained. But we need to move forward.

This modernization process was addressed in a recent parliamentary committee. What conclusion did you draw?

One of the things that became evident is the huge difference in investment between Huesca and Lleida. Here, we're still above 43% in flood risk. There, it's been reduced to 23%. We have a problem. We must move forward with concentrations and transformations at the same pace (or faster) than climate change.

Do they believe more in Aragon than here?

They've invested heavily in infrastructure, but they've also given irrigation communities a leading role so they can bid directly for projects. Some small municipalities have awarded projects worth up to €50 million! It's hard to see this here in Catalonia.

What are we missing?

Irrigation culture throughout the urban population. One example. I've never heard the most influential chefs talk about how much irrigation contributes to gastronomy. It's important that we explain how we are producing food and how farmers manage the land, because irrigation can also help control phenomena like forest fires.

We are talking about the future of a country.

Lleida has a lot at stake in this, and people perhaps aren't sufficiently aware of it. I speak to many politicians and many people in the sector, and when they listen to you, they look worried, but then they don't really follow through.

Is this policy of modernization, digitalization, and land concentration encouraging large companies to enter the sector to the detriment of small producers?

I often share the case of the modernization of the old orchard in Torres de Segre. They stopped land consolidation due to the difficulties they were facing. What happened? Well, when the machines arrived to carry out the irrigation works, the smaller plots began to be sold. Many were owned by older people, without continuity. If there are no competitive farms, there will be no modernization.

And who pays for this?

We must understand modernization as a national issue. I start from the approach One Water in water management. In the end, we all have only one source of water, and in drought conditions, it becomes even clearer. If we have more and more desalination plants or more reclaimed water, we will make water more expensive without having previously studied the costs of irrigation modernization. We must be more open-minded to find the least expensive solution.