Por Ismael Buendia 
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, announced the construction of Three new wastewater purification plants (WWTP) in the Vélez Almería region with an investment of 10.6 million euros. Specifically, he referred to the treatment plants in the municipalities of María, Vélez-Rubio, and Vélez-Blanco.
He did this during his visit to the municipality of María, where, in addition to meeting with its mayor and the mayors of Vélez-Rubio and Vélez-Blanco, he inspected Renovation works on the supply network to eliminate water leaks. The action, currently under execution, has a grant from the Andalusian Council of 373,616.39 euros, funded with Nextgeration funds.
The minister emphasized the Andalusian government’s «commitment» to María and the entire Vélez region with the bidding of these «highly requested hydraulic infrastructures that will enable municipalities to» ensure compliance with European water purification regulations «. These new treatment facilities directly benefit over 10,000 residents of the three municipalities.
Fernández-Pacheco emphasized the importance of this infrastructure within the Andalusian government’s strategy in favor of wastewater purification and efficient water resource usage, especially in a province like Almería, where water resources are so scarce. «With these treatment plants, we strengthen our commitment to environmental care and water sustainability, while offering real solutions to the challenges facing our rural communities,» said Fernández-Pacheco.
The Minister of Agriculture stressed that this action is part of the Andalusian government’s «roadmap,» whose policies will continue to be a «priority.» «In the budget for 2025, we allocated 555 million euros to water policies, of which 44.7 will be invested in the province of Almería, a 19.5% increase from last year,» said Fernández-Pacheco.
With this «investment effort,» the Andalusian government reaffirms its commitment to sustainable development and the protection of natural resources.
About María
During his visit, the minister also verified other actions of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development in the Municipality, such as improving Roads and Restaurants in the Itinere plan with an amount of 848,275, like the rural road from Fuente to Perca and Cañadas, or support for local development Leader Plan for nine projects in the municipality such as a hair salon or a multipurpose room, for 385,764 euros.
Additionally, the minister also informed the mayor that the city of María was selected as a beneficiary of one of the grants for projects for the digitization of supply systems, with 82,457.61 euros. With this grant, whose resolution was published in December of last year, from the Council, aims to improve efficiency and detect leaks, breaks, and early leaks in municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants.
The mayor of María, José Antonio García, thanked the minister for the Andalusian government: «Never before has the Andalusian government invested so much in our municipality.» In this sense, García highlighted the investments of the Juanma Moreno government in terms of water «to optimize every drop of water» and in rural roads, whose actions were «fundamental for the structuring of the territory.»