Rationalize consumption, use reclaimed water as a base and promote renewable energies. Experts agree that these are the three fundamental pillars for sustainable management of the water cycle and the guarantee for the irrigation of the island countryside. These are the main conclusions of the conference held yesterday at the Technological Institute of Renewable Energies (ITER), framed in World Water Day. Organized by the council, the forum dealt with energy efficiency. Companies, professionals and other agents analyzed the new challenges, challenges and strategies of the liquid element sector on the Island of Tenerife.
The presentations addressed issues such as strategies to increase the efficiency of irrigation on farms, the digitization of the integral water cycle or the remote monitoring system for water volumes and the digital twin for dams.
In this context, the Cabildo reaffirmed its commitment to promoting more efficient and sustainable water management. The island president Peter Martinopened the conference that included the participation of prominent speakers.
Martín highlighted the challenge of improving water storage infrastructure and purification processes. He assessed: «« Tenerife cannot continue to pour water into the sea without any type of treatment ». And he sentenced: “Not only for a moral or environmental issue, but for using that resource for the agricultural sector.”
The president also valued the investment of 1.5 million to implement renewable energies in the Balten facilities. He highlighted the pilot project to install floating plates in the San Antonio raft, in La Matanza, in which 160,000 euros will be invested. Martín also emphasized the need to continue investing in locating and repairing water leaks in municipal networks. “It is terrible to think that there are municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants that lose 60% of their water,” he pointed out.
The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Javier Parrilla, recalled that the Cabildo, through the public company Balten, will offer reclaimed water to farmers in the Northeast region at a more affordable price. «We make a reality what two years ago was the future. It is already here and it goes through the reclaimed water », she concluded.
Debugging is already the present
The Minister for Sustainable Development and the Fight against Climate Change, Javier Rodríguez, highlighted the construction of five new treatment plants on the island, “a revolution, as there will be eleven by the end of 2024.” He is clear that purification “is already the present” and even guarantees for human consumption “products for direct intake such as strawberries or lettuce irrigated with bacteria-free water.” Balten’s manager, Ana Sánchez, delved into the two current lines of work: the Digitization Plan and the Energy Rebalancing Plan.
