The mayor of La Guancha, Antonio Hernandez (PP), recently named this lawsuit: the insular ring of waters. A connection that allows the excess water in any region of the island of Tenerife it can be diverted to the places where it is most needed at all times. The Guanchero president considers that “it does not make sense that in the La Orotava Valley be watered with a higher quality water than the one we drink here ».
«The Northwest is the region of Tenerife with the most problems with water and, in our case, we have to maintain restrictions on consumption due to excess fluoride while we know that in the raft of Benijos, on La Orotava, which is filled with water that comes from some galleries, they are watering with better water than the one we receive from the galleries of Vergara and we are obliged to try “, warns Hernández.
The Guanchero president emphasizes that “our only problem is not leaks in the network, which also occur in other parts of the island. Our problem is water quality. Towns such as La Guancha or Buenavista del Norte They are supplied exclusively from Vergara I and II, with a water that when it comes out of these galleries is not even suitable for irrigation. We pay for it as if it were drinkable and, on top of that, we must add the desalination treatment, which is not cheap either. In this process we lose a lot of water and we know that in the La Orotava Valley there are surpluses of quality that we cannot acquire because there is no conduction that allows it ”.
Antonio Hernandez calls for the necessary infrastructures to open up the island’s water market and put an end to situations that prevent “La Guancha from being able to buy water in the La Orotava Valley». In his opinion, the solution would go through what he calls the insular ring of waters, which is nothing more than a system of pipes at high elevations, which in a first phase could focus on connecting the northwest with the La Orotava Valley.
The municipalities in the northwest of Tenerife are those that suffer the greatest supply problems
«The municipalities of the Northwest already lend and sell water according to the needs of each moment, but we all have a shortage and the interesting thing would be to be able to reach agreements with towns such as Los Realejos or La Orotava», Concludes Hernández. The Guanchero mayor warns that the problem in this area of the island is worsening due to the increase in consumption, which is estimated at around 10%, and due to bad practices such as “watering avocado trees with drinking water.”
All the mayors of the region have shown in their last meeting their support for the proposal to connect the Northwest with other areas where there is plenty of quality water. The ultimate goal is shared: guarantee access to surplus water.
The mayor of San Juan de la Rambla, Ezequiel Domínguez (PSOE), underlines that the final proposal has to start from the technicians: «We have to start a study of alternatives that presents us with concrete proposals. The logical thing is that we can access the drinking water that is left over in other places. If water can be sent to the South from Vergara, why can’t we receive it from other areas? ».
The president of Buenavista del Norte, Antonio González (SSP)It also awaits a technical proposal that “removes the region from its current isolation” with respect to water: “It makes no sense that we cannot access the surplus water in the La Orotava Valley. That conditions us. We cannot continue with the same water distribution system as 30 years ago». In his opinion, desalinated sea water would incorporate a very important new factor, “since 100% public water could be incorporated into the market.” For Buenavista, both proposals are “compatible.”
José Heriberto González (CC), mayor of Garachico, insists that the midlands of the Northwest are condemned to receive water with a high level of fluoride that has to be desalinated through a “complex and expensive process, which makes us lose more than 20% of the water we buy. We pay 100% of the water and receive less than 80%. In addition, there are no surpluses in this part of the island and even if you need more water at a certain time, you cannot buy it. We need a connection that allows us to supply ourselves from high altitudes ».
Garachico and Buenavista del Norte are offered to host seawater desalination plants
Antonio Hernandez sees the desalination of seawater as a relief for low-lying areas, but considers it economically unviable to pay for pumping at high levels. José Heriberto González and Antonio González, which have most of their population at low levels, are firmly committed to desalination and have even offered their municipalities as a possible location for the desalination plant proposed by the Cabildo in Sibora (Los Silos). If finally the government silences itself to the pressure of the citizen platform that does not want this infrastructure to use the regional submarine emissary, Garachico or Buenavista del Norte would be the alternatives.
