The Lanzarote Water Consortium has approved a new line of subsidies, funded with 250,000 euros, aimed at supporting citizens and primary sector professionals in the installation, renovation, or repair of water tanks and cisterns.
These grants, the call for which was published last Friday in the Official Gazette of Las Palmas, BOP, are awarded on a non-competitive basis, aiming to improve the water storage capacity for domestic and agricultural use and to strengthen the territory's water self-sufficiency.
"We have achieved a new objective, following the declaration of the water emergency, to highlight the value of water culture and ensure that all citizens of Lanzarote and La Graciosa can participate in this ancestral commitment to our most precious asset, according to the president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and the Water Consortium, Oswaldo Betancort."
With this call for applications, the Lanzarote Water Consortium advances in the execution of its Strategic Subsidy Plan 2024–2026, reinforcing storage infrastructure and contributing to a more efficient and responsible use of water in the archipelago.
"The announcement of the release of these grants had generated great expectation because the message that improving the integral water cycle is everyone's task has been understood. From the Consortium, we will provide all facilities for access to these funds, which aim to provide peace of mind in the supply to users and the primary sector," adds the Councilor for Water of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Domingo Cejas.
The call, which includes aid for both domestic use and the primary sector, establishes a series of general conditions, as well as the economic limits and types of expenses that may receive public funding.
Retroactive to January 1, 2025
Regarding eligible expenses, the guidelines include those incurred from January 1, 2025, and directly linked to actions for the installation, rehabilitation, or repair of systems intended for water accumulation. These include work for the placement or improvement of rigid or flexible tanks, with a limit of up to 3 cubic meters for rigid tanks for domestic use—which is extended to 10 cubic meters in community facilities—and up to 30 cubic meters for flexible tanks.
Likewise, new construction of cisterns, ponds, or buried or semi-buried tanks are considered eligible for subsidies, provided their capacity does not exceed 40 cubic meters. Repair or rehabilitation of storage infrastructure, with the same capacity limit, is also included, and in the case of domestic cisterns, disinfection work.
The bases are also clear regarding excluded expenses, which include project fees, the purchase of second-hand goods, land acquisition, as well as taxes, licenses, and IGIC
1,400 euros as the maximum limit
Regarding the amount of aid, the call specifies that up to 70% of the invested budget will be subsidized. However, maximum limits per cubic meter are established according to the type of infrastructure: 140 euros/m³ for rigid tanks intended for domestic supply, 70 euros/m³ for flexible tanks, 100 euros/m³ for new constructions, and 70 euros/m³ for repair or rehabilitation works.
Additionally, it is established that no applicant may receive more than 1,400 euros per call. In the case of community facilities, the maximum limit will be calculated taking into account the number of beneficiaries who meet the requirements and their percentage of participation within the community.
General requirements
In the realm of domestic potable water supply, the requirements stipulate that applicants must be individuals, registered on the island for at least one year, and be the owners or tenants of the dwelling where the storage system is located, which must coincide with their habitual residence.For their part, those applying for the subsidy in the primary sector must prove that they are owners or users and payers of a meter with an agricultural tariff. If they do not meet this requirement, those who have a professional farmer certificate issued by the Experimental Agricultural Farm of the Cabildo may also opt for the aid. Furthermore, it will be essential to be the owner or lessee of the rural property where the storage system is planned to be installed.In addition to these specific conditions, the call requires having the necessary enabling title to install or rehabilitate the corresponding deposit or cistern. It will also be necessary to prove that none of the prohibitions of the General Subsidy Law are incurred and that you are up to date with tax and Social Security obligations, as well as with any previous subsidy repayments.
The submission period will be 20 business days from the publication of the extract in the Official Provincial Gazette, with applications being processed preferably electronically through the Consortium's electronic headquarters: https://consorcioagualanzarote.sedelectronica.es