Approved a new water emergency extension until February 2027

The General Assembly of the Insular Water Council of Lanzarote has approved this Friday the third extension of the water emergency situation for another six months, a measure that will allow maintaining the necessary administrative agility to continue executing priority investments aimed at guaranteeing the water supply in Lanzarote and La Graciosa.

The president of the Insular Water Council of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, highlighted that "The water emergency has served to implement corrective measures in the face of the monumental disaster we are facing in the integral water cycle." Oswaldo Betancort expressed his gratitude to the members of the Insular Council because "they have shown responsibility towards Lanzarote and the integral water cycle" and praised the work "of the entire human team that has made it possible not only to recover the integral water cycle but also to manage the emergency that the island is suffering."

Betancort also had words of recognition for the work of the Insular Council, the Water Consortium, the Cabildo, and the Government of the Canary Islands, which "has allowed us to have financing for the emergency through the transitional provision of the regional budgets." He also expressed his hope that in February 2027 "we can leave this water emergency episode behind."

During the session, held on Friday morning in the plenary hall of the Cabildo, the awarding of the main projects included in the Framework Agreement promoted by the organization was also approved, which will mobilize a global investment of over 6.4 million euros to continue modernizing the island's hydraulic infrastructures and reinforce water security.

Among the agreements adopted is the awarding of the contract for the renovation of water supply networks, which will allow the replacement and improvement of pipelines in different parts of Lanzarote and La Graciosa with the aim of continuing to reduce water losses and increase the efficiency of the island's hydraulic system.

All points were approved unanimously, with the exception of the extension of the water emergency, which received a negative vote from the PSOE, the Municipalities of Tías and San Bartolomé, and the abstention of the municipality of Yaiza. The rest of the members of the General Assembly, a total of 28 representatives of the island society, supported the emergency measure, which will be extended until February 4, 2027.

For his part, the Water counselor, Domingo Cejas, stressed that "in just four months we have completed all the administrative processing of the main projects of the Framework Agreement, which will allow us to begin executing fundamental actions to reduce losses in the network, improve urban drainage, and continue reinforcing the water security of Lanzarote and La Graciosa".

Cejas also had words of gratitude for the members of the Council, for the technicians and managers of the Insular Water Council and the Lanzarote Water Consortium "for their willingness and collaboration to improve the integral water cycle on this island".

Rainwater in Argana, cleaning of ravines, and implementation of the new Hydrological Plan 2027-2033

Likewise, the General Assembly approved the award of the project to improve the drainage of urban rainwater in the Argana neighborhood, in Arrecife, an action with an investment of 964,892.11 euros, financed mainly by the Directorate General of Water of the Government of the Canary Islands, which will contribute to reducing the risk of floods and improving the evacuation of rainwater.

Another of the agreements adopted was the award of the works for the cleaning and adaptation of the Trujillo, Tenesía, Elvira-Sánchez, Curbelo-Chafariz, and La Negra ravines, in the municipality of Haría, as well as the development of the Framework Agreement for cleaning and drainage improvement actions in the channels of the insular hydrographic demarcation, with the aim of increasing the hydraulic capacity of the ravines and reinforcing prevention against intense rainfall episodes.

In terms of hydrological planning, the General Assembly also approved the consolidation of the document of Important Topics of the fourth cycle of the Lanzarote Hydrological Plan 2027-2033, thus continuing the planned roadmap so that the new document can be approved within the deadlines established by European and state regulations.