The Renovating Movement of Tinajo has initiated a collection of signatures among the residents of the municipality to raise a joint formal claim demanding solutions to the "lamentable" water supply service provided by Canal Gestión. "Far from improving, it has continued to worsen. In some cases, such as in Mancha Blanca, they have been without water for up to five days," denounces the president and spokesperson of the party in the Town Hall, Antonio Morales.
Faced with this situation, the MRT already took a motion to the Plenary Session of the Council last August, which was unanimously approved, although nothing has been known since then about the steps taken by the mayor. For this reason, last October, Morales decided to meet personally with the Minister of Water of the Cabildo, Andrés Stinga, to address possible solutions.
In that meeting, the minister told him that one of the problems facing the Consortium's intervention is that residents do not usually file claims officially. "They call Canal by phone, they are told what they are told and they may get angry, but they do not file a written complaint," says the councilor, who explains that this is why the Renovating Movement of Tinajo has now decided to take a further step.
"Someone had to take the initiative and we have decided to do it as a party, but without politicizing the issue," Antonio Morales said. "Once we collect the signatures, it is already a claim that people are presenting," he stressed, insisting that his goal is to help take that first step, because "one by one it will be difficult for them to do it."
The document is addressed to the Lanzarote Water Consortium to demand that Canal Gestión, as a concessionaire company, improve the service, both in terms of supply and communication and processing of complaints and claims. Those interested in signing it will have it available in all businesses in the municipality and may also contact the party's councilors if they want to join this initiative.
The letter recalls that water is a "basic essential commodity of first necessity", "if possible to a greater extent in a community where many depend on it for the development of their professional activity and water resources and infrastructure are scarce or non-existent".
In addition, it denounces that "the precarious state, as well as the countless shortcomings and deficiencies existing in the service and the supply network have worsened during the last year, despite the low demand for the service due to the forced paralysis of hotel activity" due to the Covid crisis.
Among other things, they warn that there are "constant cuts in supply without prior notice, sometimes lasting up to a week", as well as "the lack of information on management and services available to the customer and the high cost of bills that they bear for a precarious service that is not up to the needs".
"All this is just a small sample of the dimension of the problem and, therefore, of the inability and lack of professional diligence that Canal Gestión SA, as the responsible entity, demonstrates," says the letter that the Renovating Movement of Tinajo is already distributing for this collection of signatures.
With it, as explained in the document, they demand that the Lanzarote Water Consortium "urge Canal Gestión SA to provide immediate, efficient and definitive solutions to a strategic problem of the first order that for years has made it impossible for the development and prosperity" of the municipality of Tinajo.
The petition is in the same line as the letters that the party already addressed to the Water Consortium and the Town Hall, as well as the motion that was approved in the Plenary three months ago. Already then, the party demanded that the mayor transfer these demands as a member of the Island Water Consortium. In addition, it requested that an official public report be issued detailing the days and hours in which the supply of agricultural water will be carried out, and also that advance notice be given when cuts are to be made due to works or maintenance work, or when a breakdown occurs; as well as notification of the moment when the supply is restored.
Similarly, it demanded that the necessary investments be made to solve this problem that affects both households and the primary sector, putting at risk their future and that of many families. Finally, in that motion it also requested that the company be required to compensate the residents, in order to "minimize and compensate for the irreversible damages or losses caused by the various incidents in the management of the supply and supply".
