The Canary Islands Government has given the green light this Thursday to the decree approving the Special Flood Risk Management Plan (PEGRI) of the Hydrographic Demarcation of Lanzarote, a document that seeks protection against floods and proposes, among other obligations, to carry out a preliminary assessment of the flood risk and hazard maps, as well as to establish management plans for them.
As explained by the regional Executive, this document addresses the management of flood risks in the aforementioned hydrological demarcation and its forecasts complete the Island Hydrological Plan of the Hydrographic Demarcation of Lanzarote. In addition, "it complies with the same rules of competence and procedure that govern the aforementioned island plan".
Taking into account that the special flood risk management plans deserve the legal qualification of sectoral plans with an impact on the territory, by virtue of Law 4/2017 on Land and Protected Natural Spaces of the Canary Islands, the aforementioned plan, once it comes into force, will be considered a special territorial plan and "will prevail over the remaining current territorial, environmental and urban planning instruments", according to the Government of the Canary Islands.
The agreement reached by the Governing Council is based on Directive 2007/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the assessment and management of flood risks, called the Floods Directive, and on Royal Decree 903/2010 of 9 July on this matter.
The Canary Islands Government has already approved the PEGRIs of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Tenerife and La Gomera in previous sessions of the Governing Council. In addition to the aforementioned plan for Lanzarote, it has finalised the one for La Palma and is processing the file for the PEGRI of the island of El Hierro to formalise its approval "as soon as possible".
