The state of alarm reduces tourist and industrial water consumption in Lanzarote by 77.5%

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has reduced tourist and/or industrial water consumption in Lanzarote by 77.5%, according to Canal Gestión.

The company, which operates on the island managing the integral water cycle by concession of the Water Consortium, states that it has produced more than 2,879,798 cubic meters of drinking water in the last six weeks, coinciding with the state of alarm decreed by the Government in mid-March.

However, given the impact of the health crisis on society, it highlights the significant decrease in industrial-tourist water consumption, given the closure of hotels and almost all of the industry that directly and indirectly affects it.

According to the data available to the company at the moment, during the month of April the consumption rate with respect to tourist water has been reduced by approximately 77.5% compared to any other month.

Canal Gestión Lanzarote explains that, despite adopting as a preventive measure not to carry out real readings of the meters, but rather to carry out billing through estimates according to the average consumption of the preceding months, the truth is that the real-time monitoring system implemented in some 43 tourist complexes and laundries (through remote reading) has made it possible to detect that "their consumption in the month of April has been about 12,800 cubic meters, when normally it amounts to almost 57,000". This difference, he points out, yields a figure "that is totally extrapolatable to the scope of consumption that is registered by industrial and/or tourist tariff".

Domestic water consumption

Regarding domestic water, the company emphasizes that it does not have real data for the same reason. "The fact of not carrying out real meter readings makes it impossible to know exactly the impact that the pandemic has in this period of crisis, although forecasts point to a slight increase in what refers to this type of tariff", says Canal Gestión, which nevertheless points out that "it will not be until some time after the real meter reading service is reactivated when an approximate figure can be obtained".

Finally, Canal Gestión assures that, despite the health crisis unleashed by the coronavirus pandemic, it has continued to operate "with total normality in all aspects of the integral water cycle as it is considered an essential service, after the activation of the contingency plan in order to ensure at all times the protection of its employees and the continuity of the service".