At the headquarters of the Department of Rural Development of the Government of Navarra in Pamplona, the drought table was convened this Tuesday to discuss how to deal with the increasingly serious drought situation.
In the Ribera and Navarra Media, much of the dry land – non-irrigated – has been declared lost and already 40,000 hectares would be "heavily affected", according to the Government of Navarra. These are lands that mainly consume wheat and barley.
The 119,000 hectares that are irrigated are in a different situation: the 30,000 hectares that occupy the waters of Itoiz have a "total guarantee", but those that take the water from Yesa will have greater difficulties, as the reservoir is filled only 55%, the lowest level of the last twenty years. This has caused the Bardenas Canal to carry only half of last year’s water, due to restrictions imposed by the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation.
The Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of Spain is preparing a decree to equate the drought-affected areas to those that have suffered a natural disaster, but until 16 May there will be no draft. Instead, they call on the European Commission to activate aid for extraordinary crises.
"We are being told that in Andalusia animals are already dying of hunger and thirst. There is nothing, and that little there is sold very expensive"
(Fermin Gorraiz, EHNE)
Straw not for biomass to feed livestock
After meeting the drought table, the major agricultural unions have expressed their concern about the situation and have asked for tax aid to make reductions or exemptions in income tax, among others.
In addition, the representative of the UAGN trade union, Félix Bariain, has proposed that wheat straw and barley currently used for smoking as biomass be used to feed livestock.
Fermin Gorraiz of the EHNE of Navarra joined this request: "We are being told that in Andalusia animals are already dying of hunger and thirst. There's nothing, and that little bit there is sold very expensive," says EiTB.
In Navarre there are several infrastructures that use biomass. In the last decade this type of fuel has increased by 26%, especially since the beginning of the energy crisis in 2021. In many of these infrastructures, in addition to wood, cereal straw is used. For example, the Acciona plant in Sangüesa consumes 160,000 tons of cereal straw a year, as you can read on its website.
Elba basin, 1417. Due to the drought, the level of the river dropped considerably and someone marked the level of the water in a stone, carving a sign: “If you see this stone again, you will cry. The water was at this level in 1417.”
The following sign is 1616: “If you... [+]
Chronicler Theophanes Declarante stated that winter 763-764 was one of the coldest in history. Snow and ice occupied the Byzantine capital and also saw an iceberg in Bosforón.
Climate cooling has been considered to be due, among other factors, to the lack of volcanic activity... [+]
In an increasingly narrow interval between election campaigns, it should be remembered that we have entered the decisive years of the twenty-first century. To give just one example, scientists are terrified by the continual overcoming of ocean temperature records and no longer... [+]