The Citizen Water Board has released a harsh statement on the occasion of World Water Day, denouncing the serious water crisis affecting Lanzarote and La Graciosa, pointing out that access to water, a recognized human right, is far from being guaranteed. According to the group, the constant supply cuts in the island's municipalities mainly affect homes and agricultural estates, while the tourism sector, including illegal hotel establishments, enjoys an uninterrupted supply.
The water management model, privatized for fourteen years and operated by Canal Gestión, has been described as a "resounding failure." The Board criticizes the lack of oversight over investments and the system's inability to adapt to the needs of the population and the challenges of climate change. Despite the promises of the current governing group, which has been in power for 22 months, no significant improvements have materialized.
Among the most urgent problems are obsolete infrastructures, uncontrolled discharges of wastewater into the coastline, the low storage capacity of desalinated water (with reserves that barely cover a day and a half), and losses in the network, which exceed 54%. In addition, the delay in key works, such as the Northern pipeline for drinking water and the underwater transport network to La Graciosa, exacerbates the situation.
The Board also points out that the massive tourism model and uncontrolled urban development have exceeded the island's carrying capacity, increasing water demand and deepening the crisis. "Water is not a resource available to everyone," they denounce, and demand that water security be prioritized in the 2025 budgets, something that has not been reflected so far.
"Facing the water crisis is not just a technical issue, but a political one," the statement emphasizes. The Board demands immediate, credible, and lasting solutions, and criticizes the lack of concrete actions by political managers. "We don't want more announcements or smoke and mirrors. Lanzarote cannot afford the absurdity and political ineffectiveness with a resource so essential for the life and economy of its citizens," they conclude.
In a context in which water has become a privilege rather than a right, the Citizen Water Board demands a radical change in the management of this vital resource, ensuring a future with water for all.
