we are not talking about water

The province of Alicante is no exception. While it’s natural for this to be the case given how endangered we are, I think it’s time to stop and think. First of all, for our failure to defend the Tajo-Segura Transfer.

If we leave aside the legal battle declared by both the Generalitat Valenciana and the Diputación de Alicante and which they must fight to the end with all their efforts, we fail in strategy. Knowing the speed of justice, we’d better prioritize other actions than this one, because a late victory in court can come when the damage has already been done.

I say this in the light of the day-to-day events related to the Transfer. A show that shows we’re not productive. Like someone screaming in the desert, we repeat our arguments in the exercise of persuading ourselves. Instead, perhaps we should consider for a moment what our true goal is. Maybe what we’re really looking for is to secure thousands of jobs in the long run and provide for as many families as possible. Perhaps what we should have is, yes or yes, greater regional and state influence. At least for us. The rest is noise.

I think we are not clear on the way and this is used by the other party to avoid real discussion. It’s an opportunity they used against us when they appealed to the increase in Tagus’ ecological flow, which is nothing more than a political decision garnished with technical pretensions. In the meantime, it’s a rationale that’s taken with tweezers as we plunge into an energy and logistics crisis and has yet to overcome the consequences of the pandemic, and is far less urgent than keeping things going.

Of course, the Tajo-Segura Transfer is non-transferable. But we shouldn’t stop there. We will suffer in these lands, and from here on we must include alternatives to this supply in the discussion. We need to be aware of the need to include climate change resilience in our planning in order to reduce the uncertainty we live with at all times with water.

Some will think these are contradictory claims. But it is not. Because if we investigate them, we remove the main entity that they consider to cut off our rights. Because when they talk to us about alternatives, they never tell them who will pay and when, we don’t see any infrastructure planning or energy work. Because when they talk about a change in the production model, they forget that the agri-food sector is critical to a country, and that is outrageous considering the general uncertainty brought by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Let’s learn from the world’s largest economy, which knowingly protects its agricultural production. Because we are not talking about water. Do not misunderstand. We talk about jobs in the supply chain, social welfare and security.

We must bring the discussion closer to the truth and secure our future as a region by focusing on ends rather than means and, above all, basing ourselves on planning and technical rigor.

I think it’s time for change. It is a change that we citizens of Alicante have to make with the pressure that working for our future generations should give us, and that we must demand acceptance by everyone outside of this province. If all citizens of this country have the same rights and if political representatives watch over it.

But let’s not look at the politicians, it’s too late now. Political action comes after social action. After a real union is produced, it is produced without labels, in favor of the general interest in the province. I repeat: planning, diligence and perseverance. Let’s see if we’re capable and hopefully this is the beginning of the unity the province needs so that it leaves the grievance behind and initiates change.