Several neighborhood associations of Lanzarote have decided to raise their voices and denounce the abandonment suffered by the island's water system by the institutions, with supply cuts and residual water.
Specifically, the Argana Viva Neighborhood Movement Association, Aculanza, United Neighbors, as well as a platform that was created for those affected have been waiting for more than seven months for a meeting with Canal Gestión, the Water Consortium and the Cabildo to discuss the issue, but they claim that there is no interest from the latter two.
“Our surprise was that a month after requesting the meeting, the manager of Canal Gestión contacted us, and this Tuesday he contacted us again to find out if we were still interested,” explains one of the neighbors who has filed the complaint.
In addition, he adds that at first both the Consortium and the president told them “yes”, that this meeting would take place, but they insist that they have not heard from them again. “There are filters, filters and filters that do not lead to any solution,” says the neighbor, in relation to the bureaucracy to file complaints.
“They tell you to file a claim, to take a letter from the plumber, then to go to consumer affairs, from consumer affairs they send you to the Water Consortium and when the solution arrives you have to pay,” he explains. “They threaten you with that and any family ends up paying because they cannot allow their water to be cut off.” In addition, they denounce that the consumer advocate to whom they tend to be referred belongs to Canal Gestión. “I don't know how a consumer advocate in charge of the company involved is going to defend the user,” he says.
Among the difficulties faced by the people of Lanzarote are wastewater spills, supply cuts and high repair costs.
“It is a problem of air, of dirt, since when any pipe breaks it takes a long time to fix it and the user ends up assuming the cost,” says the neighbor, a situation that has already occurred, for example, in the most “secluded” areas of Tahíche. "Since there are no bleeders before reaching the meters, whoever gets it, gets it." He also insists that municipalities such as San Bartolomé or Tinajo have been without water for long periods, especially in rural areas.
The different associations point out that these problems extend throughout the island, with the exception of Yaiza, since this municipality has its own treatment plant and warn that many citizens have gone to court over this issue.
The neighbors also denounce that many houses do not have a cistern or pressure regulating valves to avoid disturbances, and explain that “the logical thing would be that before selling the house, the plumbers would not give the go-ahead to the water system if the facilities are not in good condition.”
Therefore, the associations intend to write another letter, addressed to both the president of the Cabildo, as well as the seven mayors and the Water Consortium, to request that meeting that never arrives. “It seems that they are not very willing, because with the problems that exist in the towns they do nothing and of course, in the end the consequences are always for the consumer,” concludes the neighbor.
