The Lanzarote Water Consortium has signed a second addendum to the current agreement with the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), to adapt the actions financed by the State to the most urgent needs of the current water emergency situation in Lanzarote and La Graciosa, and to extend this agreement, financed with 4 million euros, until December 2027.
The Monitoring Commission of the agreement, meeting on June 19, 2025, unanimously validated the Consortium's proposal, which will allow for the prioritization of immediate interventions in the municipalities of Arrecife, Haría, San Bartolomé, Teguise, Tías, and Tinajo, ensuring a more effective response to the structural difficulties of the supply, sanitation, and treatment system.
“The current circumstances demand flexibility and adaptability. We see the modification of the agreement as viable and appropriate, always within the legal framework and guaranteeing the effectiveness of public investment,” stated Hugo Morán, Secretary of State for the Environment.
For his part, the president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and the Water Consortium, Oswaldo Betancort, highlighted that "after securing a new extension for the El Golfo sanitation works, the signing of this addendum is another triumph for Lanzarote and La Graciosa that ratifies the good harmony and collaboration we have with the Ministry."
The president of the Water Consortium has also wanted to extend a public invitation to the Secretary of State for the Environment and Ecological Transition, Hugo Morán, and to the Director General of Water, María Dolores Pascual, so that they “travel to Lanzarote to see the scope of the multiple works we are doing in hydraulic matters and the actions being carried out with state funding”.
“From the Consortium, we are responding with agility and rigor to the extraordinary situation the island is experiencing. This update to the agreement is essential to direct resources towards actions that can truly make an immediate difference,” added Betancort.
The Cabildo's Water Councilor, Domingo Cejas, a member of the Monitoring Commission, adds that "this update will allow resources to be concentrated on necessary infrastructures and those with a great impact on improving the service we provide to all citizens".
According to Cejas, "the importance of the good understanding we have with the Ministry has not only served to avoid losing 4 million in funding and returning an additional 1.3 million in interest, but also to strengthen the commitment of both administrations to the environment as a priority for the ministry, which has consented to the signing of this addendum."
The actions planned in the municipalities are aimed at reinforcing the entire water cycle through improvements in pumping stations (EBAR) and equipment renewal; replacement and modernization of supply networks to ensure a more reliable supply; actions in sanitation, incorporating new collectors and correcting existing deficiencies; re-equipping of treatment plants (EDAR) to optimize their operation and investments in desalination, including new membranes, pumps, and works to install or improve desalination plants.
