The annual arrangement of the canals, better known as monda, had a new chapter in the last hours and the lack of definitions from Hidráulica generated more uncertainty among local irrigators who still maintain hope that it will be carried out despite the fact that there is already a delay in usual times.
After last April 17 the new director of Hydraulics, Luis Kulichevsky, questioned the realization of the monda due to the default of irrigators and inflation, this Tuesday there was a new meeting between the head of the organization himself, the presidents of Irrigation Boards and the advisors.
The irrigators demanded definitions, but Hidráulica could not provide them because they do not know if they will have the necessary money, about 1.7 billion pesos to carry out the complete cleaning. In any case, they left the door open to carry out the monda but if it comes to fruition we will have to wait up to about 45 days due to the administrative procedures required by said activity, such as bidding and awarding to companies.
The problem arose because up to 80% of irrigators are not up to date with the rates in a context of general economic crisis. For years, the provincial government has been responsible for more than 80% of the maintenance costs of the irrigation network, but this year they do not know how much they will be able to contribute, if at all. Added to this is that inflation increased the value of jobs by up to 200%.
“They promised us that they will work to speed up the times because the water was already cut off on April 30 and we are already behind. “If the thing goes, it won’t happen in the next 45 days, we estimate based on the experience we already have on the subject,” said Andrés Roca, president of the Caucete Irrigation Board.
For the year 2023, the monda had a cost of about 1,700 million pesos and currently the debt of the irrigators is $2,800 million, meaning that only with late payments can more than one complete cleaning be carried out.
Last month, Kulichevsky warned about the low collection that this sector has and said that they will go out to intimidate and cut off the water to those who do not pay. Irrigators should pay a monthly fee and a fee for the right to water. This money is used for the operation of the entity and, especially, for the maintenance of the channels. While the State is responsible for large works, such as dams and primary canals, according to the law, irrigators should support secondary and communal canals with their quotas.
But the truth is that the collection is very low. They estimate that 80% of irrigators with irrigation rights are not up to date and there are accounts that have not been paid for more than 15 years, explained the director. This implies a definancing that meant that in 2023 more than 90% of the money would be paid by the Government. This was an expenditure of $7.3 billion.
On this topic, Roca explained that “the presidents of the Boards do not have the power to demand payment because we do not have legal status, we can only lower the gate to the irrigator, but the obligation to collect is from Hidráulica,” and added that “many Delinquent irrigators are waiting for a moratorium, but in Hidráulica they told us that there will not be one and that there will only be a different payment plan without providing too many details.”
The impact on local production will have serious consequences if the monda is not carried out. “It fully affects agriculture and we are already late. In a context of water crisis, the monda should have already started to take advantage of the water shortage, which returns in mid-August,” said the caucetero.
The cleaning of canals is usually carried out in a period of 60 to 90 days and there are times that it is extended up to 100. Roca said that the ideal is to carry out the peeling when the canals are dry as at present, first because it is easier to remove the garbage and mud and, secondly, to avoid wasting the water that in many cases overflows.
The presidents of the irrigation boards recognize the complex economic panorama and assured that they will not carry out any measures for the moment, but they did request an audience with the Minister of Production Gustavo Fernández or with Governor Marcelo Orrego. “We have faith that it will work out and, furthermore, we hope to finish it,” said Roca.
The state of the canals, an outstanding debt of several years
In addition to the fact that the monda is in doubt for this season, irrigators said that the canal network in general is in very poor condition, especially the main water distributors.
In that sense, Roca explained that maintenance has not been carried out on the mother network for many years, which is the one that includes the Benavídez, Céspedes and Del Norte channels. “We have a big problem in the Ignacio de la Roza Dam, where the main gates that divert water to the main network are located and, if it is not solved this year, we could have severe consequences, not to mention that there is a lot of dirt and even Trees have grown in the joints of the walls of these canals,” he warned.
