Neither water for irrigation nor heritage conservation. The so-called Cadimo pond, in the vicinity of the capital of Jaén, began to be built 15 years ago to respond to more than 15,000 hectares of olive groves in the upper Guadalquivir basin, one of those that suffers the greatest water deficit. When the work began, the workers came across a colossal site with more than 400 archaeological sites and vestiges dating back to 8,000 years BC. The reservoir, measuring more than seven cubic hectometres, was completed six years ago and, since then, has remained inactive due to the unrest of the irrigators. And, what is worse, with no plan in sight to recover the numerous remains found, including the crown jewel, a dolmen from the Copper Age.
“Many of the remains were buried and others were flooded by the waters of the pond, and in some cases they were protected, such as the dolmen. "We managed to divert the pipes that supply the water to the reservoir so that it would not be affected, and it is currently covered and protected by a fence," explains Narciso Zafra, an archaeologist from the Government of Andalusia who directed the numerous excavation campaigns that were carried out. carried out in this archaeological enclave, which experts give an area of about 400 square kilometers.
The dolmen, considered one of the most important in the Iberian Peninsula, is shaped like a sepulchral chamber, which would support this type of burial that was so typical in the Copper Age. Next to it, remains of a paving stone from a possible rural road from Roman times appeared.
“Remains from all periods appeared, from the Neolithic, Prehistory, the Roman Empire, Iberians or the Middle Ages,” comments Vicente Barba, one of the archaeologists who participated in the twenty excavation campaigns that were carried out. carried out before the start of construction of the dam.
In the archaeological survey carried out next to the main dam of the dam, remains of ceramic materials were located, from contemporary to some Roman fragments that could come from the Roman settlement called Villa del Cadimo. And further south, remains of mining exploitation also appeared.
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And in the western area of the main dam the remains of a necropolis from the Islamic period were located. The tombs correspond to a typology of a simple grave excavated in the rock, covered by a small mound marked with tiles or stone slabs, and where the position of the corpse follows the Islamic rite: right lateral cube, facing east.
No plan
Although initially the intention was to recover part of the remains and make a visitable route to the site, the truth is that that plan disappeared as work on the pond began. The subdelegate of the Government in Jaén, Manuel Fernández, has confirmed that there is no project of these characteristics nor has he received a request in this regard from the Department of Culture of the Government of Andalusia, which is responsible for protecting these archaeological remains.
Archaeologists have confirmed the close relationship of this enclave with the Marroquíes Bajos site, which can be seen from the Cadimo pond itself. It is an archaeological site that treasures 5,000 years of Jaén's history and that is abandoned and covered, among dandelions and herbs, in its main plot, C.
The finds on this plot include a cistern and a Roman well unique for its two entrances, burials of possible Iberian origin, the remains of tanneries and homes, and vestiges of jewelry and utensils that are more than 3,000 years old.
Unlike the Cadimo pond, this site, declared an archaeological reserve 20 years ago, does have a protection and enhancement plan to turn it into a place of archaeological, tourist, educational and cultural interest that can be visited.
However, the Cadimo pond, which began construction in 2008, is not meeting the objective for which it was designed: to bring water to more than 15,000 hectares of olive groves and regulate the ecological flow of the Guadalbullón River. Six years after the works were completed, it remains inactive because technically the load tests cannot be carried out.
Despite the recent intense rains at the head of the Guadalquivir, this reservoir is still below 50% of its capacity, and in order to carry out these load tests it must be practically full. It was two years ago, but the Guadalquivir Hydrographic Confederation modified the filling plan due to the drought situation and opted to empty it without the tests having been completed at 100% of its capacity. There were also problems in formalizing the electricity supply contract for this reservoir, procedures that have dragged on for several years.
With an investment of more than 60 million euros financed with Feder funds, the Cadimo pond is one of the most important hydraulic investments in recent decades in the Guadalquivir basin. Built on the Guadalbullón River, between the Cadimo, Águila and Higuera hills, it has two dams and its spillway is designed for a flow of 7.8 cubic meters.
Curiously, it is not the only reservoir that remains stranded in the province of Jaén. At the other end of the province, in the Sierra de Segura, the Siles dam, with a capacity of 30 cubic hectometers, has been waiting for the pipes to come into service since 2015 amid the desperation of the region's farmers.
“We demand that this dam be an immediate reality,” intoned Cristóbal Cano, general secretary of the Union of Small Farmers (UPA) in Andalusia. Meanwhile, the Guadalquivir Hydrographic Confederation argues that it has been the duplications detected in the files that are slowing down the regularization of the dam's irrigation concessions.
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