Tony García, a farmer from La Graciosa, denounced this Thursday on the program Buenos días, Lanzarote de Radio Lanzarote - Onda Cero the complicated situation that his farm is experiencing due to the lack of water for more than two months.
"Almost no one who comes to La Graciosa knows that there is an agricultural area, the Las Maretas area and the Las Conchas area where there are about 20 orchards that are active all year round and others that are only active when chives, potatoes or peas are planted," says García.
In addition, due to the supply cut they are not growing anything. "Now we are not planting potatoes or chives because we have been 11 weeks in a row without water, two months and a bit. There was water for 6 hours and from there three more weeks without supply. It is unfeasible, the trees that have taken years and years to grow are affected and we are carrying gallons by car or bicycle," he reveals.
The water that reaches La Graciosa both for irrigation and for human consumption does so from the same pipe but the supply destined for agriculture is cut off. "I have made a thousand calls to Canal Gestión that are useless and I have also called and sent letters to the Consortium and I have spoken with the Minister of Water, Domingo Cejas, and with the Councilor of La Graciosa, Alicia Páez, they take note to pass it on but nothing else," he says.
"I understand that there is a water emergency but that there is no water at all will cause the little agriculture that there is to disappear," he says. "They give us different excuses such as that in August there was no water because there were many people and then in October it is for another reason," he comments.
"Many of those who work the land have already stopped planting because if everything dies, and if the land is not used, the State appropriates them because it is a concession that they give you," he explains.
"Apart from the fact that the water is paid at the same price as the water that is consumed, there are also water leaks. There is a water leak on El Salado beach and it has been going on for more than a month, it is outrageous because then we have to be carrying gallons of water to the farm," he declares.
Likewise, the farmer has also commented that it is "a shame that this tradition of agriculture is lost because, like fishing, it is part of the history of La Graciosa."
