The Cabildo of Lanzarote presented this Wednesday morning the new 'Emergency Action Plan' for the improvement of infrastructures of the Integral Water Cycle of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, designed jointly by the Water Consortium, the Island Water Council and Canal Gestión Lanzarote.
“This plan that we present after carrying out an exhaustive diagnosis of the current water situation in Lanzarote and La Graciosa, is the result of an urgent need that does not admit more hesitation or more political inaction,” said the president of the Cabildo at the beginning of the press conference. “A state of urgency or emergency that requires rapid, diligent and timely action, to prevent Lanzarote and La Graciosa from continuing to suffer serious family and economic consequences,” said Oswaldo Betancort.
The president assured that “they are going to put all possible economic and human resources before having to officially declare the water emergency at the island level, because it would mean a decrease in the service even more pressing for the population,” he added, recalling that “an exquisite coordination between all the bodies involved will be key to launch all the necessary investment.”
"Two new mobile desalination plants that are expected to arrive in September"
Regarding the plan, there will be "five immediate actions" worth noting: the renovation of 38 streets with a high rate of breakdowns, improvements in the treatment plant and reservoir of Arrecife, the use of two old reservoirs in Costa Teguise, and awareness campaigns for the population about water care in the media, schools, etc., among others. In addition, Betancort has announced the installation of "two new mobile desalination plants that will be transferred by the Government of the Canary Islands, from the island of La Palma, which are expected to arrive in September."
"The two islands have a current supply network that suffers losses of more than 56%"
A delicate situation that is going through on the two islands, "whose current supply network suffers losses of more than 56%", Betancort has confirmed. Also taking into account, "the interruptions in the supply that affect the population", among other needs for infrastructure improvements, he adds.
A plan in which the Cabildo of Lanzarote, through the Water Consortium and the Island Water Council, and in coordination with Canal Gestión, have been working this month of "conscientiously" in which the "investments that will be carried out at the island level, as well as the municipal requests and the financing that must be attended by the Government of the Canary Islands" are included.
The Minister of Water of Lanzarote, Domingo Cejas, explained that “the objective of this new roadmap that we have drawn together, will allow us to jointly address the water situation and its emergency, designing an 'Island Hydrological Plan' that promotes and encourages the improvement of desalination and treatment plant facilities, and applicable technology to solve a historical problem with foresight.”
“Indeed, we present this diagnosis not without first apologizing to the population, but sending a message of tranquility, since we are working to respond to the cuts in the supply that are happening more frequently than desired due to a totally obsolete network,” he pointed out.
Finally, as manager of Canal Gestión Lanzarote, David González, has shown "his firm commitment to collaboration and making available" all the means so that, "in a coordinated manner and reducing the execution times as much as possible, we can work on the reform of the existing infrastructures and be able to give the service that Lanzarote deserves", he concludes.
