The Cabildo of Lanzarote announces that in a few days two desalination plants will be transferred from the island of La Palma, which were installed in La Palma during the volcanic eruption to supply the crops, and which will now be installed in the Díaz Rijo Desalination Center, which will allow for about 5,000 m3/day additional, which will help to mitigate, in part, the cuts that have been occurring in recent months.
The Water Consortium and the Island Water Council of Lanzarote requested on July 10 the transfer of the aforementioned portable desalination plants, EDAM 1 and EDAM 2 (with a capacity of 2,600.00 m3/day each and owned by the Government of the Canary Islands), in order to mitigate the water shortage to the population of the islands of Lanzarote and La Graciosa due to the increase in consumption experienced during the summer period, as well as the loss of production capacity of 6,000 m3/day derived from the stoppage of the frame of the Lanzarote III module of the Díaz Rijo Desalination Plant.
Again, at the meeting held on July 28 between the president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, and the Minister of Water of the Government of the Canary Islands, Manuel Miranda, the state of the Integral Water Cycle in Lanzarote and La Graciosa was reported, as well as the proposals contemplated in the Action Plan designed for the coming years. At that meeting, Betancort secured from the Canary Islands Executive the commitment to agree on the transfer of the plants located in La Palma, as well as future investments necessary to modernize the hydraulic infrastructures in accordance with the forecasts, objectives and priorities of the plan, prepare its project and undertake its financing and execution.
"The situation of water shortage on the island of Lanzarote and La Graciosa has become a real risk, especially when we are in the periods of maximum tourist occupancy on the island, so the transfer of use of these portable desalination plants is the only guarantee of water production in the short term in order to avoid the undesirable situation of shortage and put an end to the absolute abandonment in the management of water in Lanzarote and La Graciosa", said Betancort.
Last Thursday, August 10, the Minister of Water of Lanzarote, Domingo Cejas, verified in situ how the dismantling work of both desalination plants began for their subsequent transfer to Lanzarote, visiting the location of the same, together with the technicians of the General Directorate of Water of the Government of the Canary Islands, in order to know first-hand the plants and the logistical process to transport and assemble them in Lanzarote once said transfer is authorized.
The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, also recalls that "the Action Plan for Supply contemplates the expansion of the production of the Díaz Rijo Desalination Plant by 20,000 m3/day, an action in which the Island Consortium is already working together with the Government of the Canary Islands," he said.
In order to report on the state of the Integral Water Cycle in the islands of Lanzarote and La Graciosa and the Action Plan that is being carried out, the president of the Cabildo has called an informative meeting this Monday, August 14, with the representatives of the Water Consortium of Lanzarote, in which the situation of each municipality and the island of La Graciosa will be diagnosed, "after 4 years of dereliction of duties of the previous Government group, which in an incomprehensible and very irresponsible way have aggravated an unprecedented water situation", lamented Oswaldo Betancort.
