Freshuelva joins call for improved water infrastructure

Huelvan berry association Freshuelva has announced that it is to participate in a demonstration on 4th March to demand improvements in the province’s water infrastructure, which are crucial for the survival of the berry sector.
According to Freshuelva, the lack of investment over recent decades has resulted in:

“a province which is rich in water having supply problems, because it has an obsolete infrastructure such as the San Silvestre Tunnel, or there is an area with irrigation problems, such as the Condado de Huelva”.

The protest has been organised by pressure group Y Huelva Cuándo (And Huelva When), made up of business, economic, neighbourhood and educational groups and representatives of various associations throughout the province, who are angry about repeated breaches and delays in the execution of vital improvement works on the province’s water infrastructure.
According to Freshuelva, the province:

“cannot wait any longer for upgrades to the San Silvestre Tunnel, which would guarantee the supply of water not only for agriculture and industry, but also for human consumption.”

The Doñana National Park has become a focal point in the discussion over the province’s water supply following moves by the regional authorities to grant an amnesty to the farmers illegally tapping its aquifer to feed the booming strawberry sector. The plan is opposed by conservation groups who say it will spell further disaster for the local environment.