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ARCHIVED - Murcia government plans ban on irrigation farming along the shore of the Mar Menor
Cholorphyll levels in the lagoon have shot up again as the water turns cloudy
Six weeks after the gota fría storm which caused widespread flooding in Murcia and sparked a drastic deterioration in the marine environment of the Mar Menor, and over three years since an episode of eutrophication caused the water in the lagoon to turn cloudy and green, the regional government of Murcia is reported to be studying various possibilities which will form part of legislation designed to regenerate and protect the fragile ecosystem of the area.
It is widely accepted that the main cause of the progressive worsening of conditions in the Mar Menor is the growth of intensive irrigated crop farming in the Campo de Cartagena, where the runoff of nitrates found in fertilizers has contributed to the ecological balance in the lagoon being substantially altered. There are other contributing factors, including the boom in construction along the coast of the Mar Menor and further inland, but the legislation being planned by the Murcia government deals primarily with agriculture, according to regional newspaper La Verdad.
One of the most sweeping measures will concern permitted land use on the fringe of land between the shore of the Mar Menor and the AP-7, N-332 and RM-12 roads. In this area the intention is for only non-irrigated or ecological farming (without the use of fertilizers) to be permitted. Since the flooding in September, and the subsequent appearance of tens of thousands of dead fish and crustaceans on the beaches of the Mar Menor, various photographs have been published on social networks showing irrigated fields reaching almost down to the shoreline, while at the same time disobeying a law which allows only contour ploughing (creating furrows parallel rather than perpendicular to the coast).
Other measures contemplated include the following:
- A ban on the use of liquid manure as a fertilizer and on nitrogenated fertilizers.
- Tight controls on the use of manure in the coastal fringe.
- The immediate dismantling of unauthorized irrigation systems as soon as the CHS notifies any such case.
- Limits on fishing in the Mar Menor.
- Only environmentally friendly boats to be permitted.
- No new property developments in the fringe area.
- A thorough review and repair program on sewage networks in coastal municipalities.
- Stiffening of fines for allowing runoff into the lagoon.
- The creation of a model of sustainable tourism in the Mar Menor.
In the meantime, the latest water quality measurements in the Mar Menor show an alarming increase in the amount of chlorophyll in the lagoon. For most of the last three years the figure has been under 5 milligrams per cubic metre of water, but immediately after the September gota fría it shot up to an average of 16 mg. At first it seemed that this was just temporary, but data collected on 25th October show that it has soared back up to over 13 mg with a range of values of between 11 and 16 mg.
In this context the march which is taking place on Wednesday evening in Cartagena under the slogan of SOS Mar Menor is an extremely relevant event, with large numbers expected to attend and demand rapid action to save the lagoon.
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