The problems with the supply of potable water in Lanzarote are no longer a surprise, but rather a situation that is becoming chronic on the island. However, it does not affect all towns equally. For example, in February, while the municipality of Arrecife did not suffer any interruptions, according to data from Canal Gestión, the town of Los Valles only had supply for four days. In March, it increased to 17 days with supply.
The lack of supply in this town, belonging to the municipality of Teguise, is constant and varies by area: more noticeable in Los Valles de Arriba and less in the lower area. The residents of this town depend on having a cistern, a tank used to store water, installed in their homes. The quality of life of these citizens depends on its size and the possibility of refilling it regularly.
One of the residents of this town told La Voz how most homes have a "fairly large" cistern and the capacity to "spend time without depending on street water" because they were built in the 60s of the last century, when drought was common on the island. However, this situation is aggravated in the case of farmers, who depend on irrigation water to maintain their crops. This month, in Los Valles there were only three days of regenerated water for irrigation, the 4th, 11th and 18th.
This citizen has a relative with a farm in Los Valles. "Having a meter is exceptional, but what do you want a meter for if you don't have water, when you go to water there is no water and the paradox occurs that when there is water it usually comes at night, in the early morning, and when it comes at night it comes with a lot of force, with a lot of pressure," he says. In his house, even the hose that connects the street to the cistern has broken three times in a year because when the water returns it arrives with a lot of pressure.
Likewise, this resident has pointed out that disconnecting hotel establishments from the network and having them have their own desalination plant "is not the solution." "In this way, if they produce their own water, they do not pay the cost involved. Tourist water is much higher than the water of a resident and it will negatively affect the supply network because the greatest financing is obtained from hotels," he indicated.
In this sense, he indicated that with the population growth that Lanzarote is suffering and the lack of maintenance of the network it is "even normal" that there are cuts.
