Catalunya protests over Spain's plans to 'steal' water from Ebro delta
Wednesday, February 10, 2016 @ 1:09 PM
PROTEST marches on Sunday filled the town of Amposta (Girona province) over ongoing plans by the Spanish government to reduce the flow of the Ebro river and siphone off it to provide water to other regions.
Another reason the separatists cite for wanting Catalunya to become an independent country, leeching water away from one of Europe's longest rivers could cause untold damage to its unique flora and fauna, which includes numerous endangered species of locally-native plants.
The Ebro delta, which runs into the Mediterranean in Catalunya, is a protected nature reserve and the source of the river is in the northern coastal region of Cantabria.
At 930 kilometres in length if it was stretched out in a straight line, the Ebro crosses through nine of Spain's federal regions – or more than half the mainland.
As well as being a highly biodiverse wetland, its marshy terrain is perfect for growing rice and certain types of fruit and vegetables, and sediment from downriver gushing into the delta dilutes salty sea water and prevent coastal erosion.
But the Spanish government has built so many dams, hydraulic systems and housing estates on the banks of the Ebro that the river sediment has been severely curtailed – only about 10% gets through to the delta.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com