The Minister of Territorial Policy, Territorial Cohesion and Waters of the Government of the Canary Islands, Manuel Miranda, held a meeting with the residents of La Graciosa this Thursday to inform them of the processing status of the renovation project for the drinking water supply pipeline that connects the island with Lanzarote, an action that continues to advance after the holding of the first contracting board, within the bidding process, for the award of the works.
The meeting was also attended by the mayoress of Teguise, Olivia Duque, the Minister of Waters of the Insular Council of Lanzarote, Domingo Cejas, and the Director General of Waters of the regional government, José García Leal, who explained to the residents the next steps of the procedure and answered the questions raised about an infrastructure considered a priority to guarantee the water supply of the eighth island.
During the meeting, Manuel Miranda recalled that the Government of the Canary Islands has held several meetings with the residents of La Graciosa throughout the legislature, fulfilling the commitment made to inform them firsthand about the evolution of the project and share each of the milestones achieved until its execution.
“From the beginning of the legislature, we assumed the commitment to move forward with this infrastructure and to maintain permanent communication with the residents. Today we can report a new advance with the holding of the first contracting board, an important step towards the award of fundamental works to guarantee the water supply of La Graciosa,” said the minister.
The mayoress of Teguise, Olivia Duque, highlighted that the collaboration between the City Council, the Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo of Lanzarote is being fundamental to make a strategic infrastructure for La Graciosa a reality, since when administrations work together and with a common objective, projects advance and solutions reach the citizens. In this regard, she pointed out that this new step brings the island ever closer to a safer, more efficient water supply adapted to its present and future needs.
The Councilor for Water of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Domingo Cejas, highlighted that "the processing of this work has been tremendously complicated due to the necessary authorizations", and in this regard, he valued "the enormous work done by the Water Consortium to obtain those permits". Cejas conveyed to the residents of La Graciosa his commitment that "the water supply will be at the level that its inhabitants deserve by 2027". "Today - he added - we come again to inform you of a new step: after the completion of the bidding process, we are on the verge of awarding the work".
The action, already put out to tender by the Directorate General of Water, has a base tender budget of 3,880,266.11 euros and will allow the replacement of the pipeline connecting Lanzarote with La Graciosa, installed between 1996 and 1997, which currently has limitations in meeting demand during periods of high occupancy, in addition to experiencing problems derived from accumulated breaks after almost three decades of service.
The project includes the installation of a new high-resistance polyethylene pipeline, both in the submarine section and in the terrestrial connections, with approximately 1,220 meters of submarine pipeline between both islands and nearly 1,100 meters of terrestrial pipelines, improving the safety, capacity, and reliability of the drinking water supply for residents and visitors.
The execution of the works will take place within the Chinijo Archipelago, a Biosphere Reserve of Lanzarote and an area integrated into the Natura 2000 Network, which is why the project has required intensive technical and environmental processing for more than two years, incorporating bathymetric and oceanographic studies, underwater inspections, marine habitat cartographies, and specific analyses on protected flora and fauna. Likewise, the works will have specialized technical assistance to supervise compliance with all the preventive, corrective, and environmental monitoring measures foreseen.
The contracting is being processed under the urgency procedure with the aim of taking advantage of the most favorable sea conditions during the months of September and October, minimizing both the technical risks of the installation and the temporary impacts on the marine environment.
With this new advance, the Government of the Canary Islands continues to promote a strategic infrastructure for La Graciosa, reaffirming its commitment to guaranteeing the water supply on the island and to maintaining permanent dialogue with its neighbors throughout the project's development.