Page will create 29,000 hectares of irrigated land while aiming to close the Tajo-Segura transfer.

The president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García- Page , will create 29,000 more hectares of irrigated land as part of a special program while he aims to close the Tajo-Segura transfer . This week, a regional leader visited modernization projects included in this major project.

While maintaining the narrative that " there is no water " for the countryside of Alicante, Murcia , and Almería , which is supplied by the aqueduct and is only for domestic consumption, and urging farmers in the Levant to seek alternative water supply through desalination , this water transformation of the landscape on the plateau is planned.

A reality that is beginning to materialize. An investment of 990,000 euros—out of a total of 1.4 million—will complete the modernization of 156 hectares, begun this year in the Vega de Almoguera on the Tagus River. And work is already underway on another 654 hectares on the other side of the river following the publication of a decree declaring them of urgent public use , in the same municipality and in the districts of Mazuecos and Yebra.

As announced by the Castilian-Manchegan regional government, its Irrigation Master Plan covers a total of more than 29,000 hectares, with the aim of halting depopulation , among other things. Although the Director General of Rural Development, Santos López , emphasized during this visit that it is one of the regions with the least irrigation in Spain—5.5% less than the average—at the same time, and due to its size, it has the second largest irrigated area , behind only Andalusia.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture's latest annual report, with data updated to 2024, Murcia and the Valencian Community stand out in relative figures, with 60% and 55% of irrigated agricultural land, respectively, surpassed only by the Canary Islands.

Overall, these crops are supplied with water in 3.85 million hectares—compared to dry land—which also gives an idea of how this water "war" is magnified when taking into account the tiny space they occupy in the Iberian Peninsula's countryside: 3.4% of the surface area (132,000 hectares irrigated by the Tajo-Segura water transfer ).

This ministerial study confirms that, despite the record amount of land allocated to irrigation throughout Spain , water consumption has not increased, thanks to the implementation of more efficient systems .

In short, the figures say one thing, while the political debate between both sides in this conflict is veering in a different direction, seemingly driven more by ideology than actual resources. The two reservoirs that supply the transfers—Entrepeñas and Buendía—remain at historic highs of 1,435 cubic hectometres (73% and 49% of their capacity), according to the Ministry's official indicator (embalses.net), after losing 22 hm3 in the last week. Meanwhile, the Segura basin is at 28.6% of its possible volume, by far the lowest level in all of Spain.

Nor have farmers expressed discontent with the distribution of water, nor has the SCRATS irrigation union expressed dissatisfaction with the increase in agricultural activity in Castilla-La Mancha. They are aware that it also generates wealth for the national GDP and are convinced that there is water for everyone.