The General Assembly and the Governing Board of the Lanzarote Water Council (CIAL) approved this Wednesday the budget for the 2026 fiscal year, which amounts to 2,869,800.24 euros, representing an increase of 1,095,547.17 euros (38.17 percent) compared to the previous fiscal year.
The general accounts prioritize investment in hydraulic infrastructure, reduction of network losses, and improvement of ravine beds, actions to which 1.7 million euros will be allocated.
"The priority investments are fundamentally oriented towards work on preventing heavy rainfall, through the conditioning of riverbeds and ravines, something we have already been doing this year; as well as in the renewal of supply networks," according to the vice-president of the Insular Water Council, Domingo Cejas."With this new budgetary framework, the Insular Water Council reinforces its commitment to planning, sustainability, and efficiency in water management on the island, advancing key actions for water security and territorial protection," Cejas adds
At the General Meeting, the CIAL manager, Erik Martín, detailed the income and expenditure section of next year's accounts and introduced and welcomed the new Director General of Water for the Government of the Canary Islands, José Miguel García Leal, and the alternate counselor representing the Socialist Group, Benjamín Perdomo, on his first attendance at the Board.
Investments in ravines and reduction of network losses
Of the €1,702,297.94 in the real investment chapter, €500,000 correspond to the 2026 installment of the framework agreement for cleaning and conditioning work on ravine beds, another €500,000 are included in the framework agreement for the renovation of supply networks aimed at reducing network losses, and €461,779.02 for the cleaning of the Trujillo, La Elvira, Curbelo-Chafariz, and La Negra ravines in the municipality of Haría
The budget also includes allocations for the installation of weather stations, for complementary works on irrigation systems, and for the expropriation of land for the 108 northeastern irrigation culverts.
Of the projected income, 530,000 euros come from own funds, mainly from the discharge fee and financial deposit interest, while the Cabildo of Lanzarote will contribute 2,339,800.24 euros, distributed as an annual transfer of 1,389,800.24 euros for the Council's operation and an additional 950,000 euros for hydraulic works and network improvementsOnce the proposal is approved by the Governing Board and the General Assembly, the budget will be sent to the Cabildo de Lanzarote for final approval and consolidation within the island's general budget